| Misha Миша (in Russian) | |
|---|---|
 Misha on a Soviet stamp (1980). | |
| Mascot of the 1980 Summer Olympics (Moscow) | |
| Creator | Victor Chizhikov |
| Significance | Russian Bear |
Misha (Russian: Миша), also known as Mishka (Russian: Мишка) or The Olympic Mishka (Russian: Олимпийский Мишка), is the name of the Russian Bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games (the XXII Summer Olympics). He was designed by children's books illustrator Victor Chizhikov.[1]
Misha is the first mascot of a sporting event to achieve large-scale commercial success in merchandise. The Misha doll was used extensively during the opening and closing ceremonies, appeared on several merchandise products and had both an animated short film (animated by Soyuzmultfilm) and a television series (animated by Nippon Animation), all of which are now common practice not only in the Olympic Games, but also in the FIFA World Cup and other events' mascots.[2]
- ^ "Умер художник Виктор Чижиков, создавший образ Олимпийского мишки" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 20 July 2020.
- ^ Alpert, Lukas I.. (20 February 2014) Russians Get Misty for 1980 Olympic Mascot Misha—Except for His Creator – WSJ. Online.wsj.com. Retrieved on 2016-07-02.