Bring on the bears!

Although the first bear mascot was introduced in Moscow 1980when Misha became a household name around the world, “Mikhail Potapych Toptygin” (Misha’s full name) was not the only bear mascot to appear at the Olympics.

In Calgary 1988two polar bears, Hidy and Howdy, waved the Canadian flag at the Winter Olympics, while the bears reappeared in Salt Lake City 2002when the black bear Coal was chosen as the mascot along with the coyote Copper and snowshoe hare Powder.

In Sochi 2014another bear is part of a trio: the polar bear joins the leopard and the hare at the Winter Games that year.

And who can forget the Bing Dwen Dwen of Beijing 2022the ice-covered panda that greeted the world at the second Olympic Games held in the People’s Republic of China.

Curious fact: Although all bears have been popular pets around the world, one of them also became famous for an unusual experience. In June 1978, Misha was launched into space aboard the Soyuz rocket for a visit to the Salyut 6 space station.

Other furry friends show the spirit of the Olympics

Of course, bears aren’t the only animals that have inspired Olympic Games mascots. In Munich 1972 the Waldi dachshund was introduced, and the course for that year’s Olympic marathon even had the shape of the multicolored dog.

A beaver was the protagonist of Montreal 1976when Amik (a word meaning beaver in the indigenous Algonquin language of Canada) became the symbol of the Olympic Games.

Two years later, it is Roni the raccoon who captivates the public in Lake Placid 1980followed by the wolf Vučko at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo 1984before Sam, the American eagle, became the symbol of los angeles 1984.

In Seoul 1988 was introduced to the tiger Hodori and in Barcelona 1992 the Pyrenean mountain dog, Cobi.

More recently, the platypus (Syd), the kookaburra (Olly) and the echidna (Millie) have become ambassadors for the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000while the white tiger Soohorang was the symbol of the Winter Olympics of Pyeongchang 2018.

Curious fact: Barcelona 1992’s mascot, Cobi, inspired a 26-episode cartoon series called “The Cobi Troupe” which aired on 24 different television channels.

Pets in human form

Although the original Olympic mascot, Shuss, of Grenoble 1968, may not look quite human, was based on the idea of ​​a man on skis. Shuss was created in a single night by designer Aline Lafargue in a last-minute presentation.

The 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer introduces the first human-shaped mascots, with children Haakon and Kristin representing the Games.

And while they may be more gods than humans, the brothers Phevos (another name for the Greek god Apollo) and Athena of Athens 2004 they have proven to be very popular mascots, linking the ancient Greek past of the Olympics to the modern Games.

Curious fact: Haakon and Kristin weren’t the only mascots for the Lillehammer 1994 Games. Organizers also chose eight pairs of royal children to represent regions of Norway as “living mascots”.

“It’s a way to really communicate about the Olympic Games, to communicate that the Games are going to take place soon and it also gives the spirit of the specific edition of the Games, by the colors of the mascot, by the name of the mascot. So really refers to the look of the Games, the identity of the edition of the Games”.

– Anne Chevalley, head of educational and cultural services at The Olympic Museum, speaking about the meaning of the Olympic mascots in 2014.

the wild and the wonderful

Of course, many of the mascots are the fruit of the creative minds of their creators, taking shapes that represent distinctive characteristics of the countries where the Games were held or novelties of the time.

In Innsbruck 1976 the snowman Schneemandl was chosen as the mascot, while a star-and-cube-shaped imp named Magique was the mascot of Albertville 1992.

Izzy’s bright blue lit up Atlanta 1996inspired by the idea of ​​advancements in information technology, while the owls Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki featured in Nagano 1998.

The Neve snow globe and the Gliz ice cube were chosen for Torino 2006while the mythical animals sasquatch (Quatchi) and sea bear (Miga) were the protagonists of Vancouver 2010.

And who can forget Wenlock London 2012a creature made with the last drop of steel used in the construction of the Olympic Stadium, in Vinicius de Rio 2016which was a mixture of different animals, or the blue and white Miraitowa which caused a stir at the Games of Tokyo 2020.

Curious fact: the light above the head of the London 2012 mascot, Wenlock, was inspired by the famous black cabs of the English capital. The mascot design prevailed over more than 100 proposals which included a teapot and a Big Ben figurine with arms and legs.

Learn more about past Olympic mascots on the official page of olympics.com mascots