The Olympic Mascot has been part of the Summer Games since the 1972 edition, that was hosted by Munich. The mascot represents a cultural heritage of the place where the event is held. They are also used as a means to market the Games among the younger generation, particularly the children.
Here’s a look at the different mascots at the Summer Games:
1972 Munich Olympics
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Waldi was the first official mascot at an Olympic Games. He was based on a real life long-haired Dachshund named Cherie von Birkenhof, which German designer Otl Aicher used as a model.
1976 Montreal Olympics
Amik the beaver was the mascot at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The beaver was selected as the mascot since it is a symbol of hard work. It is also an animal native to Canada, the host country for that Olympics.
1980 Moscow Olympics
Mish the bear was designed by the children’s book illustrator Victor Chizikov. This was the first mascot that gained a lot of commercial success, in terms of merchandise and was extensively used during both the opening as well as the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.
1984 Los Angeles Olympics
Sam the eagle was the mascot for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. He is a bald eagle, which is the national bird of the United States. He was designed by Bob Moore, who was an artist for Disney.
1988 Seoul Olympics
Hodori was the mascot for the Seoul Olympics held in the year 1988. “Ho” in Korean means Tiger and “dori” refers to boys. The mascot was designed by Kim Hyun and it portrays the hospitable and friendly traditions of the Korean people.
1992 Barcelona Olympics
The 1992 edition saw Cobi the sheepdog being chosen as the mascot for the event. Designed by Javier Marascal, it was unveiled in 1987 and derives its name from the Organising Committee- the Barcelona Olympic Organising Committee(COOB).
1996 Atlanta Olympics
The final Olympics to be held in the 20th century, the mascot for Atlanta was Izzy, an animated character with the ability to morph into different forms. The mascot was unlike others as it didnt depict any nationally important animal or a human figure.
2000 Sydney Olympics
The first Olympics of the new millenium, the Sydney olympics had three mascots- Syd, Olly and Millie. The first one represented the environment and the activity and energy of Australia as well as its population. The second one represents the Olympic spirit of generosity while the third knew all about technological and numerical data.
2004 Athens Olympics
The Olympic Games returned to the Greek capital of Athens in 2004. Athena and Phevos were the mascots for these Games. They were named after Greek gods and according to the Organdising Committee, represented participation, brotherhood, equality, cooperation, fair play [and] the everlasting Greek value of human scale."
2008 Beijing Olympics
The Beijing Olympics in 2008 had as many as 5 mascots, namely Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. Each of them were given the name “Fuwa”. Each of the mascots represented one particular continent. Beibei represented Europe, Jingjing represented Africa, Huanhuan representing America, Yingying representing Asia and Nini representing Oceania.
2012 London Olympics
The London Olympics 4 years ago had 2 mascots- Wenlock and Mandeville who according to a fictional storyline were made of the last girder of the Olympic stadium. The five friendship rings on Wenlock’s hands represent the Olympic rings and three on his head represents the three places on the podium.
The three spikes of Mandeville’s head represents the Paralympic Agitos.
2016 Rio Olympics
Vinicius will be the mascot for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The former’s design represents Brazilian wildlife, combining “"the agility of cats, sway of monkeys and grace of birds."
