The best and worst of Olympic mascots, from Phryge to Miraitowa

Country mascots over the years have ranged from cute animals to abstract beings

An employee displays the mascot Olympic Phryge of Paris 2024 Olympic Games inside an official store. Photo: AFP

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When it comes to branding at the Olympic Games, mascots have a role to play. Throughout the decades, their reveal has become a part of the overall ritual – something for viewers to look forward to as Olympics season rolls around.

Introduced in 1968 (although still relatively new in comparison to the Games' long history), mascots are now routinely chosen to represent the host country's identity and, at times, values.

The practice's origins began with the humble Shuss, a zigzagged shape with a red head standing on skis, which was used at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics. The first Summer Olympics mascot was Waldi, a colourful dachshund who represented the 1972 Munich Olympics. Since then, every Olympic Games has had a mascot.

But not every mascot has been viewed as a success, both in its overall appearance and its failure to communicate what its host nation represents. Then there are the incredible designs that have become the stars of that year's Games.

Here, we chart some of the best and worst Olympic mascots, and why they worked or didn’t.

Worst: Vucko, Sarajevo 1984

This one should be self-explanatory, really. Not your typical welcoming character, this shady-looking wolf also appears to be crossing its fingers in a distrustful manner.

Yet, its design for the 1984 Winter Games hosted in Sarajevo comes with good reasoning; the mascot was chosen because the wolf is typically found in the forests of the Dinaric Alps region. Organisers wanted to give their wolf mascot a friendly appearance but didn't quite hit the mark. Instead, it possesses an air of deceit, which isn't a word you'd want to associate with a sports competition.

The selection process involved a competition with more than 800 participants.

Worst: Amik, Montreal 1976

Looking back over the years at mascots, some scream “minimal effort”. While this muted mascot is in danger of falling into that category, there is some reasoning behind it.

Named Amik, which means beaver in the Algonquin language the indigenous language for much of Canada, Montreal's 1976 mascot pays homage to its heritage.

It's a good concept, but unfortunately, the result is a lifeless shape wearing a red sash. Amik was another mascot that originated through an open competition, which hasn't been so popular in recent Games.

Worst: Miraitowa, Tokyo 2020

It’s unfortunate that the country that gave the world anime and manga produced such a, well, boring mascot. The name is a portmanteau of the words mirai, which means future, and towa, which means eternity.

Organisers wanted to opt for a futuristic design that could communicate Japan’s prowess in the realm of technological advancement. Unfortunately, it missed the mark, and the result is a lifeless being with drab colours and uninspiring features.

Best: Olympic Phryge, Paris 2024

The newest mascot is already one of the best there's been. It gets its name from the French Phrygian hats, with the mascot itself being an animated hat with legs. The name and the design were chosen as “symbols of freedom and to represent allegorical figures of the French Republic”, the Paris 2024 website explained.

The Olympic Phryge's power lies in its energetic, animated appearance. It's familiar in its cartoonish appearance, its big eyes ensuring it is cute and captivating, while its red, white and blue colours mirror the French flag. Attendants at this year's games can be seen sporting the Phryge on their hats and shirts, proving its success.

Best: Izzy, Atlanta 1996

Not many mascots perfectly capture the culture and mood of their time as well as Izzy did. Designed to be an abstract embodiment of the five Olympic rings, Izzy fits perfectly within the wacky, colourful, and tech-forward design movement of the late 1990s.

Izzy had a bumpy start with not many convinced it captured the Atlanta Olympics well enough, being so conceptual. Other mascots have tried, and often succeeded, in communicating the culture of the host country, but what Izzy tried to do was convey the feeling of youthful excitement felt in the US during the 1990s.

Izzy represented a new and revolutionary move in mascot design, as it was not an animal, human, or object. Its appearance resembled many of the popular cartoons of the day, too, making it catch the attention of young Olympics fans, the prime audience for merchandise buying.

Best: Misha, Moscow 1980

A strong contender for the cutest of all the mascots, Misha, full name Mikhail Potapych Toptygin, is a cartoon bear designed for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. There’s everything to like here: Olympic rings belts, a humble stance, and that contagious smile.

Misha, being depicted as a cuddly bear, was a counter to the aggressive and burly Russian bear, a symbol often used to depict the Soviet Union for much of its existence. Bears also often appear in Russian fairytales, becoming inextricably tied to the culture and identity of the nation.

Misha had quite an experience being the mascot for the Soviet-hosted Olympics, as he went to space on a Soyuz rocket in 1978 to promote the games. During the closing ceremony, an enormous Misha bade farewell to the 100,000 spectators before being lifted by balloons and disappearing into the sky.