List of Olympic mascots

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

One of the first Olympic mascots was created for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble; a stylized cartoon character on skis named Schuss. The first official Olympic mascot appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, and was a rainbow-colored Dachshund dog named Waldi.[1]

Since the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the Olympic and Paralympic mascots have always been presented together[citation needed], which was first done in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona[citation needed]. The Youth Olympic Games, which are run by the International Olympic Committee, have had mascots as well.

Olympic mascots

More information Games, City ...
GamesCityNameTypeDesignerSignificanceImageRefs.
1932 Summer OlympicsUnited States Los Angeles Smoky DogN/aThe only Olympic mascot to be a real live animal. (unofficial)[2]
1964 Summer OlympicsJapan Tokyo Kapa KappaUnknownA creature from Japanese mythology. (unofficial)[3]
1968 Winter OlympicsFrance Grenoble Schuss SkierAline LafargueAn abstract figure with the colors of the flag of France. The name derives from the term schussboom, referring to a straight downhill run at high speeds.[4][5]
1968 Summer OlympicsMexico Mexico City Chac Mool JaguarUnknownA pink chacmool jaguar. (unofficial)[6]
1972 Winter OlympicsJapan Sapporo Takuchan Asian black bearSeiko design departmentDesigned and marketed by sponsors of the Games. (unofficial)[7]
1972 Summer OlympicsGermany Munich Waldi Dachshund dogElena WinschermannA popular breed in Bavaria, it represented the attributes required for athletes – resistance, tenacity and agility.[5][8]
1976 Winter OlympicsAustria Innsbruck Schneemann and Sonnenweiberl Snowman and Sun womanWalter PötschSchneemann is named after the German word for snowman and wears a red Tyrolean hat, a traditional hat from the Alps.[4][5][9]
1976 Summer OlympicsCanada Montreal Amik BeaverYvon Laroche,
Pierre-Yves Pelletier,
Guy St-Arnaud and
George Huel		Beavers are one of the national symbols of Canada.[5]
1980 Winter OlympicsUnited States Lake Placid Roni RaccoonDonald MossIts face design resembles the hat and goggles used by competitors. It was named for the Adirondack mountain range. The 1980 Winter Olympics initially had a live racoon named Rocky as the mascot, but it died, leading to the creation of Roni.[4][5]
1980 Summer OlympicsSoviet Union Moscow Misha (Миша) Brown bearVictor ChizhikovThe Russian Bear was the national symbol of the Soviet Union.[5]
1984 Winter OlympicsSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo Vučko WolfJože TrobecWolves are prominent in Yugoslavian fables and common in the Dinaric Alps. The mascot was designed with a cute face to dissociate him from the ferocity of real wolves.[4][5]
1984 Summer OlympicsUnited States Los Angeles Sam Bald eagleRobert Moore
(from
The Walt Disney Company)		The national bird of the United States.[5]
1988 Winter OlympicsCanada Calgary Hidy and Howdy Polar bearsSheila ScottBoth represent Western Canadian hospitality.[4][5]
1988 Summer OlympicsSouth Korea Seoul Hodori (호돌이) Siberian tigerHyun KimSiberian tigers are common in Korean legends. Hodori was originally used as the mascot of the 1986 Asian Games.[5][10]
1992 Winter OlympicsFrance Albertville Magique Man-star/snow impPhilippe MairesseThe colors of the mascot are based on those of the French flag. Magique replaced the original mascot of the 1992 games, a mountain goat, two years before the games began.[4][5]
1992 Summer OlympicsSpain Barcelona Cobi Catalan sheepdogJavier MariscalDrawn in avant-garde, cubist style[5]
1994 Winter OlympicsNorway Lillehammer Håkon and Kristin HumansKari and Werner GrossmanBoth are dressed in Viking clothes. They were the first Olympic mascots to be human figures. They were named after Hakon Hakonson and Kristin Sverrisdottir.[4][5]
1996 Summer OlympicsUnited States Atlanta Izzy UnknownJohn RyanThe first computer-generated mascot.[5]
1998 Winter OlympicsJapan Nagano The Snowlets:
Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki		 OwlsPierre-Laurent Thève/Landor Associates, Paris The four owls represented fire, earth, air, and water. They replaced the original mascot of the games, which was a weasel named Snowple.[4][5]
2000 Summer OlympicsAustralia Sydney Olly
(from "Olympic")		 KookaburraJozef Szekeres, Matthew HattonRepresenting the Olympic spirit of generosity.[5]
Syd
(from "Sydney")		 PlatypusRepresenting the environment and energy of the people of Australia.
Millie
(from "Millennium")		 EchidnaRepresenting the Millennium. All three mascots are common wild animals found in Australia.
Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat WombatRoy and HG, Paul NewellA wombat that proved more popular than the official mascots. (unofficial) [11][12]
2002 Winter OlympicsUnited States Salt Lake City Powder
(a.k.a. Swifter)		 Snowshoe hareSteve Small,
Landor Associates
and Publicis		All three mascots are indigenous animals of the U.S. state of Utah, and are named after natural resources important to the state's economy. These animals are major characters in the legends of local Native Americans in the United States, and these legends are reflected in the story of each mascot. To remind them of this heritage, all mascots wear a charm around their neck with a petroglyph image.[13][5][14]
Copper
(a.k.a. Higher)		 Coyote
Coal
(a.k.a. Stronger)		 American black bear
2004 Summer OlympicsGreece Athens Athena and Phevos (Αθηνά και Φοίβος) DaidalaSpyros GogosTwo modern children resembling ancient Greek daidala sculptures.[5]
2006 Winter OlympicsItaly Turin Neve and Gliz Snowball and Ice cubePedro AlbuquerqueTheir names mean "Snow" and "Ice". The designs were chosen in an international contest, which was won by Portuguese artist Pedro Albuquerque. [4][5]
2008 Summer OlympicsChina Beijing Beibei KoiHan MeilinThe five names form the Chinese phrase "Beijing huan ying ni" (北京欢迎你), which means "Beijing welcomes you". Each representing an Olympic ring and Feng Shui element. [5]
Jingjing Giant panda
Huanhuan Olympic Flame
Yingying Tibetan antelope
Nini Swallow
2010 Winter OlympicsCanada Vancouver Miga Sea BearMeomi DesignPart orca and part kermode bear[5]
Quatchi SasquatchFrom Canadian mythology
Mukmuk Vancouver Island marmotNot an official mascot, but their designated "sidekick". [15]
2012 Summer OlympicsUnited Kingdom London Wenlock A drop of steel with a camera for an eye.IrisNamed after the village of Much Wenlock in Shropshire, which hosted the Wenlock Olympian Games, a precursor to the modern Olympic Games in the 19th century. It represents the UK's start of the Industrial Revolution. [5][16][17]
2014 Winter OlympicsRussia Sochi Leopard, Zaika and Bely Mishka (Леопард, Зайка, Белый Мишка) Hare, Snow Leopard and Polar Bear Silvia Petrova, Vadim Pak, Oleg Serdechny The first Olympic mascots decided by popular vote. [4][5]
Zoich (Зойч) A furry blue frog with strange eyes Yegor Zhgun A popular character commissioned by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee to promote the mascot poll and serve as a fake protest vote. (unofficial) [18]
2016 Summer OlympicsBrazil Rio de Janeiro Vinicius A hybrid animal representing all Brazilian mammalsLuciana Eguti and Paulo MuppetInspired by Brazilian fauna. Named after the poet and bossa nova composer Vinicius de Moraes, decided by popular vote. [5]
2018 Winter OlympicsSouth Korea Pyeongchang Soohorang (수호랑) A white tigerMASS C&GThe tiger is an animal closely related to Korean mythology, and is a symbol of trust, strength, and protection. The name combines "Sooho", a word for protection, and "Rang", which is a mix of the Korean word for tiger and the name of a folk song in the Gangwon Province. [4][5]
2020 Summer OlympicsJapan Tokyo Miraitowa (ミライトワ) RobotRyo TaniguchiA superhero-inspired robot that embodies both old tradition and new innovation. The Olympic mascot was chosen from several designs submitted by schoolchildren and illustrators throughout Japan. [5]
2022 Winter OlympicsChina Beijing Bing Dwen Dwen (冰墩墩) Giant pandaCao XueWith a suit of ice, a heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports, this panda is ready to share the true spirit of the Olympics with the whole world. [5]
2024 Summer OlympicsFrance Paris Olympic Phryge Phrygian capGilles DelerisBased on the Phrygian cap, a symbol of the French Revolution. [19][20]
2026 Winter OlympicsItaly Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo Tina StoatStudents of the Istituto Comprensivo of Taverna in CalabriaTina's name is derived from Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the two host cities. [21]
2028 Summer OlympicsUnited States Los Angeles TBA TBATBAto be revealed in 2026
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Youth Olympic mascots

More information Games, City ...
GamesCityNameTypeDesignerSignificanceImageRefs.
2010 Summer Youth OlympicsSingaporeLyo and MerlyRed male lion (Lyo), Blue female merlion (Merly)Cubix InternationalThe two characters are an allusion to the "Lion City" label of Singapore, and the Merlion, a national symbol of Singapore, respectively. [22]
2012 Winter Youth OlympicsInnsbruckYogglAlpine ChamoisFlorencia Demaría and Luis Andrés Abbiati of ArgentinaYoggl represents the character of the host city of these games [23]
2014 Summer Youth OlympicsNanjingLele(砳砳)Yuhua StoneCui XinyeLeLe is inspired by a unique natural feature of the host city known as the "Rain-Flower Pebble" (also translated as "Riverstone"). The design of the mascot takes the typical shape and appearance of this stone but in a creative and artistic way, highlighting the colours from the emblem's palette. The word 'lele' represents the sound of stones colliding together and is pronounced like the Chinese word meaning happiness or joy. [24]
2016 Winter Youth OlympicsLillehammerSjoggLynxLine AnsethmoenThe name "Sjogg" translates to "Snow" in the Gudbrandsdalsmål dialects [25]
2018 Summer Youth OlympicsBuenos AiresPandiJaguarHuman Full AgencyPandi's name is a combination of the scientific name of the jaguar (Panthera onca) and the relationship of the mascot with the "digital world". [26][27]
2020 Winter Youth OlympicsLausanneYodliA cow, Saint Bernard dog and a goat hybrid.ERACOMYodli is a cross between a cow, goat, and the Saint Bernard breed of dog, all of which are commonly found in the Swiss mountains. It was named after yodeling. [28]
2024 Winter Youth OlympicsGangwon ProvinceMoongchoSnowballSoo-Yeon ParkThe character was conceived as a snowball created in a snowball fight between Soohorang and Bandabi. [29]
2026 Summer Youth OlympicsDakarAyoLionNdeye Mariama DiopA young lion wearing a tingandé, a traditional hat worn by the Fula people. His name means "joy" in Yoruba.[30]
2028 Winter Youth OlympicsDolomites and ValtellinaTBATBATBATo be revealed in 2027
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See also

References

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