Olympic Mascots Through the Years

“Schuss” was the very first unofficial Olympic mascot. The little man on skis appeared at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.

“Waldi” the Dachshund appeared at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, West Germany. He was the first official Olympic mascot. Dachsunds are a popular dog breed in Bavaria.

“Schneeman” was the official mascot at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

“Amik” the beaver was the mascot in the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, Canada. The beaver is one of the national symbols of Canada.

“Roni” the raccoon was the mascot at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. He replaced Rocky, a real raccoon, who died before the games began.

“Misha” was the mascot for the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow, USSR. The bear was the national symbol of the Soviet Union.

“Vučko” the wolf was chosen by readers of major Yugoslav newspapers to be the mascot for the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

“Sam” the eagle was the mascot at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, California. He was designed by a Disney artist.

“Hidy” and “Howdy” were the mascots at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Canada. The bear siblings were the first dual mascots.

“Hodori” the tiger was the mascot at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul also had a female mascot named “Hosuni.”

“Magique” the snow imp replaced a mountain goat to become the mascot for the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France.

“Cobi” the surreal sheepdog was the mascot at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. His design was influenced by the works of Picasso.

“Håkon” and “Kristin” are two children from Norwegian folklore dressed in Viking clothes. They were the mascots for the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

“Izzy” was the mascot for the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Ga. Its name was short for “Whatizit?” because no one seemed to know what it was.

“Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki” the snow owls were the mascots of the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. They replaced Nagano’s original mascot which was a weasel.

“Ollie, Syd and Millie” were the mascots for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. Ollie is a kookaburra, Syd is a platypus and Millie is an echidna.

“Powder, Coal and Copper” were the mascots for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The three animals are major characters in Native American legends and each wore a petroglyph charm around its neck.

“Phevos and Athena” were the mascots for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece. They were inspired by ancient Greek dolls and named after Greek gods.

“Neve” the snowball and “Gliz” the ice cube were the mascots for the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. They were chosen from more than 200 proposals.

The five “Fuwa” children were the mascots for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China. Together, their five names form a Chinese phrase which means “Beijing welcomes you.”

“Quatchi” the sasquatch and “Miga” the sea bear were the mascots for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. “Sumi” the thunderbird was the mascot for the Paralympic Games. “Mukmuk” the marmot was their sidekick.

“Wenlock” was the mascot for the 2012 Summer Games in London, England. He represented drops of steel and was named after an English town which hosted the first unofficial modern Olympic Games in 1850.

The Leopard, the Hare and the Polar Bear were the mascots for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. They were selected by the Russian people during a live national TV broadcast by text message voting.

Vinicius, a mixture of all Brazilian animals, is the mascot for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is named for a bossa nova composer. Tom, a magical fusion of all the plants in the Brazilian forests, is the Paralympic Games mascot.

Soohorang, a white tiger, is the mascot for the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. According to tradition, the white tiger is Korea’s guardian animal and Soohorang represents the protection offered to all the participants of the Olympic games.

Miraitowa (left) is the official mascot of the 2020 Summer Games (postponed to 2021) in Tokyo, Japan. It is named for the Japanese words for “future” and “eternity,” and it has the ability to teleport. Someity (right) is the mascot for the 2020 Summer Paralympics. It’s named after a type of cherry blossom and can fly.

Bing Dwen Dwen is the mascots for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, China. The panda wears a full-body shell of ice which helps the mascot skate, snowboard and ski alongside the Olympic athletes.