Unusual Olympic Mascots and Their Bizarre Origin Stories

What exactly is the purpose of a typical mascot? A mascot is supposed to keep the energy high and keep the vibrations flowing in a positive direction as athletes participate in their various sports. There’s a reason there are mascots on-site at most professional basketball games and football games. Mascots are similar to cheerleaders when it comes to creating a sense of urgency and vibrancy in a crowd.

Oftentimes, they know how to dance and keep the rhythm with whatever music is playing in the background. When it comes to the Olympics, every four years a specific mascot is selected to represent the excitement of it all. Sometimes, mascot duos are chosen. Other times, mascot trios or even bigger groups will be there for the crowds to see. One fun detail about Olympic mascots is that they provide the events with a more kid-friendly edge. Mascots tend to be dressed up as characters that kids enjoy interacting with. What better way to keep the younger generations engaged and entertained?

Occasionally, Olympic mascots that are chosen can be super unusual and sometimes even a little creepy. The creepier a mascot is, chances are, their origin story is even more bizarre. When you have a better understanding of a specific mascot’s origin story, it helps you better grasp the message that’s supposed to be conveyed every four years by each hosting country. Here’s a roundup of some of the most unusual Olympic mascots and their incredibly bizarre origin stories. (While we’re on the topic of the Olympics, click here to read up on seven iconic stories of sportsmanship from the Summer Olympics. )

To gather these details about the most unusual mascots in Olympic history, 24/7 Tempo consulted several sports-centered sources. These include ESPN , NBC Olympics, and Yahoo Sports.

Izzy in Atlanta, 1996

Technology has fully taken over in this modern era and just about everyone knows how to use smartphones, laptops, and tablets. People were barely starting to get more familiar with technology in the 90s, though. In 1996, the chosen mascot was named Izzy and he brought joy to Olympic fans in Atlanta that year.

Before taking on the name Izzy, this mascot was called “Whatizit” based on its confusing shape, size, color, and form. It didn’t represent a human being, a specific object, or even an animal. At the core of it, Izzy was meant to represent an innovative piece of information technology, which was a hot topic of conversation in the 90s before technology became as widespread as it is today.

Miraitowa in Tokyo, 2020

In 2020, an unusual yet impressive Olympic mascot stole the show for sports fans of the world. His name was Miraitowa, and people in attendance at the Tokyo Olympics caught glimpses of him while he was out and about. If you’re curious to know the exact origins story of Miraitowa, it’s a sweet one.

The name is derived from two words: future and eternity. Miraitowa was specifically selected to shed light on how exciting and blissful the future would be for folks around the globe willing to hone in on an eternal sense of hope within their hearts. The style of this adorable mascot was meant to be both precious and original.

Schneemann in Innsbruck, 1976

Schneemann was the chosen mascot in Innsbruck back in 1976. One detail that makes this mascot so bizarre is its creepy shape and eyes. It was designed to look like a snowman, but its large black eyes look like gaping holes that you wouldn’t want to stare at for too long. To make matters worse, the majority of the snowman’s body is totally missing.

It looks like a giant snowman head with massive fingers sticking out near the chin and big white feet in bulky boots, but not much else. The Olympic organizers in Innsbruck decided to go this route because they thought the snowman would provide good luck by wearing a traditional Tyrolean hat.

Vinicius in Rio, 2016

In 2016, the Olympics were held in Rio. A mascot named Vinicius was chosen to bring joy and excitement to the environment. The origin of this mascot stems from the brilliance of a poet and lyricist from Brazil named Vinicius de Moraes. Birdo Produções came up with the concept and creation after drawing inspiration from Vinicius and multiple other sources. He was inspired by video games, anime characters, and major pop culture moments in history as well. The colorful mascot was silly-looking and weirdly shaped, yet well-received by fans at the Olympics that year.

Misha in Moscow, 1980

For the Olympics in 1980, an unusual mascot named Misha was selected. The Olympics were being held in Moscow that year, which is known for being the political center of Russia. Interestingly enough, there are no bears located in the greater Moscow region, but Misha the bear was still chosen to bring excitement to the Olympics that year. As far as Misha’s origins go, a creative man named Victor Chizhikov came up with the concept of Misha while illustrating a children’s book. Misha is meant to come across as a friendly and welcoming teddy bear dawning an Olympic belt.

Syd, Olly, and Millie in Sydney, 2000

In the year 2000, Olympic fans had the pleasure of celebrating with a trio of three mascots. We’re referring to Syd, Olly, and Millie as Olympic mascots in Sydney, Australia. Syd was a platypus with a duck bill, Olly was a kookaburra, and Millie was an anteater.

While plenty of Olympic fans might’ve assumed the mascots in Australia would be either kangaroos or koalas, the mascot designers decided to be a little more original by avoiding any generalizations and clichés. Syd, Olly, and Millie have an awesome origin story since they were designed to symbolize water, earth, and air. Although fire is one of the four elements, another specific mascot member wasn’t dedicated to that.

Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki in Nagano, 1998

Back in 1998, Olympic fans laid eyes on four separate mascots that came out as one dynamic team. We’re referring to none other than Sukki, Nokki, Lekki, and Tsukki in Nagano. The owl-shaped mascots were fun to look at because they were so brightly colored. One was designed with royal blue while another was designed with teal blue.

The third was designed with purple and the fourth was designed with red on top. The four of them were created to fully represent the four elements of nature including water, earth, air, and fire. Loads of Olympic fans thought they looked a bit visually haunting based on the size of their noses.

Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini in Beijing, 2008

The 2008 Olympics was a pleasant year for athletes and guests alike. Part of the reason had everything to do with the chosen mascots. In Beijing, a group of mascots with the names Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini pranced around to keep the energy of the crowd at a good level.

But where exactly did they originate from? An artist named Han Meilin came up with the concept of these five adorable-looking characters because he wanted them to represent a more powerful version of the Powerpuff Girls. He also called them “good luck dolls.” Their deeper message was about bringing a greater sense of luck to the athletes performing.

Waldi in Munich, 1972

Olympic mascots have been around for decades, with one of the earlier ones presenting itself to the world in 1972. Waldi was one mascot the world took notice of when the Olympics were being held in Munich. The origin of Waldi stems from the fact that his creator, Elena Winschermann, wanted to depict the notions of agility, tenacity, and endurance in the form of one of the most popular animals of Bavaria.

Dachshunds are heavily beloved in Bavaria, and Winschermann completed her task by adding three out of the six commonly known Olympic colors. At first glance, Olympics fans might not have been able to understand why this particular mascot was chosen, but with a little more detail, it makes much more sense.

Athena and Phevos in Athens, 2004

Athens is considered a wonderful vacation destination for history buffs. Tons of history lovers were thrilled to learn where the Olympics of 2004 were going to be held. They were also a bit confused by the mascots who were chosen to represent the games at the time.

Athena and Phevos were the two mascots of 2004 who were purposely designed to look like badly drawn cartoon characters. They look like doodles on a sheet of paper with crayons. There is a deeper meaning to them when it comes to their origin stories, though. They’re supposed to symbolize what it truly means to embrace a sense of equality between the male and female genders.

Phryge in Paris, 2024

The most recent mascot to catch a bit of backlash for its weirdness is named Phryge. It’s the mascot of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and its origin comes from the desire to symbolize the true meaning of liberty within the French Republic. Although the symbolism behind this mascot is totally on point, people are still a bit perplexed by its appearance.

Still, it turns out that tons of people find the mascot of 2024 to be adorable, regardless of how bizarre it might look. According to statistics, 75% of adults give Phryge their stamp of approval. What’s even more interesting is that 80% of children genuinely enjoy Phryge as well.

Hodori in Seoul, 1988

Olympics fans living in Seoul had a lot to be excited about in 1988 because that’s when the Olympics was being held there. The mascot that year definitely garnered a lot of attention when it was first revealed. Hodori translates to “tiger.” For that reason, the mascot itself looks like an actual animated tiger.

Many people drew comparisons to the Kellogg Cereal brand’s animated mascot, Tony the Tiger. Hodori was definitely not meant to resemble Tony the Tiger in any way, though. The name was chosen after 2,295 people submitted their own random ideas. The creator of the mascot was Kim Hyun who narrowed down the animal to being a tiger instead of a mandarin duck, a squirrel, or a rabbit.

Cobi In Barcelona, 1992

The Olympics were held in Barcelona in 1992, which was a real treat for the residents living there. Cobi was the mascot, and his name has a very interesting meaning. Cobi is a nod to the words “Barcelona ’92 Olympic Organizing Committee.” It might not be easy to guess what kind of animal Cobi is at first glance. The creator, Javier Mariscal, was going for a humanized Pyrenean mountain dog.

It wasn’t about realism for him as an artist, by the way. He wanted Cobi to look like an animated Cubist-style figure. He certainly succeeded at his task. (Now that we know some interesting details about the most jaw-dropping mascots of Olympic history, click here to uncover the weirdest jobs at the Olympics that you didn’t know existed .)

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