‘Schuss’ the skier (an unofficial
mascot) made his appearance at the
Grenoble 1968 Winter Games. He
is widely considered the ‘father’ of all
Olympic mascots .
But what is a mascot?
In Olympic Games tradition, a mascot is a person, animal or item that represents good luck. Mascots usually reflect the nature or culture of a host region or
country .
“Waldi”, the first official mascot to appear for the 1972 Munich
Games
Winter Olympic Games 1976 - Innsbruck
This snowman symbolizes the "Games of Simplicity.”
1976 - Montreal - Amik
1980 – Moscow - Misha
1980 - Lake Placid - Roni
1984 – Los Angeles - Sam
1984 – Sarajevo - Vuchko
“ Vuchko", the tough and courageous wolf. This wolf has both a serious and a cheerful side, but it is happy rather than serious.
1988 – Seoul - Hodori
Calgary ‘88
“Howdy and Hidy” are an inseparable brother and sister pair of polar bears. "Hidy" is an extension of "hi", while "Howdy“ is the
American western slang for "hello."
1992 – Barcelona - Cobi
1992 – Albertville - Magique
Half man-half star. "Magique" plays with the concept of dream and imagination through its star-like shape.
1994 - Lillehammer
Haakon and Kristin are two small Norwegian children in traditional
costumes.
1996 – Atlanta - Izzy
1998 - NaganoThe Snowlets: Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki are four owls; a bird who has long represented "the wisdom of the woods" in many countries .
2000 –Australia
2002 – Salt Lake
The Salt Lake 2002 mascots aim to reflect the Olympic motto "Citius, Altius Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger).
2004 – Athens
2006 – Turin – Neve & Gliz
"Neve": she is a gentle, kind and
elegant snowball; "Gliz": he is a
lively, playful ice cube.
2008 – Beiging
Beibei is the Fish,
Jingjing is the Panda,
Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame,
Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope
and Nini is the Swallow.
2010 – Vancouver
2012 –London