List of Olympic mascots

See also: List of Paralympic mascots

Some Olympic mascot dolls on display at the Argentine Olympic Committee museum.

The Olympic mascots are fictional characters who represent the cultural heritage of the place where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are taking place. They are often an animal native to the area or human figures.

One of the first Olympic mascots was created at the Grenoble Winter Olympic Games in 1968. It was named "Schuss" and it was a little man on skis, designed in an abstract form and painted in the colors of France: blue, red and, white.[1] However, the first official Olympic mascot appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. It was Waldi, a Dachshund dog. Dachshunds are a popular breed in Bavaria and symbolize attributes required for athletes: resistance, tenacity, and agility. The color scheme of Waldi's design incorporated three of the colors of the Olympic flag: blue, yellow, and green.[1][2][3]

Starting with the 2010 Vancouver mascots, the Olympic and Paralympic mascots have been presented together, which was first done in Barcelona in 1992. Other games recognized by the International Olympic Committee, namely the Special Olympics, the Deaflympics, and the Youth Olympic Games, have had mascots as well.

  1. ^ a b "History of Olympic Mascots 1968–2014 – Photos & Origins". www.olympic.org. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Olympic Games Mascots". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Ολυμπιακές Μασκότ Χειμερινοί Αγώνες – Athens Info Guide". www.athensinfoguide.com. Retrieved 22 October 2015.