Meet the Mascots

Schuss - 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics

Schuss, the first unofficial Olympic Mascot, appeared in Grenoble in 1968 and is the father of all Olympic mascots. He was portrayed as a little cartoon-like character on skis.

Waldi - 1972 Munich Olympics

Waldi the Dachshund was the first official mascot and appeared in 1972 at the Munich Summer Games. Since then there has been a mascot for every Olympic Games, winter and summer, with the exception of the Sapporo Winter Games in 1972 which had no mascot.

Amik - 1976 Montreal Olympics

Amik the beaver was chosen as the official mascot for the Summer Olympic Games of Montreal, 1976. "Amik" in Indian language means beaver.

Misha - 1980 Moscow Olympics

The Moscow Olympic bear Misha was developed by the renowned illustrator of children's books Victor Chizikov. It took the illustrator six months to draw one hundred variations of the bear that also carried the full name Mikhail Potapych Toptygin.

Sam - 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

The eagle Sam became the mascot of the Los Angeles Games. He was chosen because the imposing bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States.

Hodori - 1988 Seoul Olympics

Hodori, the mascot of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, portrays the friendly side of a tiger, which is present in many Korean legends.The "Ho" in Hodori comes from the Korean word for tiger, and "Dori" is a common masculine diminutive.

Cobi - 1992 Barcelona Olympics

The Spaniards did not immediately take to Cobi, the surreal dog from the Summer Olympic Games of Barcelona, who was designed by local cartoonist Javier Mariscal. Cobi's popularity slowly grew and by the end of the Games he was loved universally by the Spanish and the rest of the world.

Izzy - 1996 Atlanta Olympics

The mascot of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta was an amorphous abstract fantasy figure. It carried the name Izzy, derived from "Whatizit?" because no one seemed to know exactly what Izzy really was.

Olly, Syd and Millie - 2000 Sydney Olympics

Olly, a Kookaburra; Syd, a Platypus; and Millie, an Echidna, are three native animals chosen as mascots for the Sydney 2000 Games. These Australian animals represent the earth, air and water.
-- The Olympic Mascots - CCO

Athenà and Phèvos - 2004 Athens Olympics

Brother and sister, Athenà and Phèvos, are the mascots for the Athens 2004 Olympics. They are named after two Greek gods. Athenà is the protectress of Athens and the goddess of wisdom. Phèvos is the Greek god of light and music.
-- The Olympic Mascots - BBC

Click to view and read about the mascots of the Winter Olympics.

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