I really miss Cobi, the oddball Barcelona sheep dog. The best of all Olympic mascots, so far. Those were simpler times.
In recent years the mascots have been getting more numerous, and more confusing.
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Mascots, Quatchi (C), a sasquatch, Miga (L), a sea bear and Sumi, an animal spirit are unveiled in Surrey, British Columbia, Nov. 27, 2007. The Mascots were inspired by local Aboriginal mythological creatures.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Miga — a snowboarding sea-bear inspired by the First Nations’ legends of the Pacific Northwest. Miga, described as mischievous and outgoing, is part sea-bear and part orca whale.
Quatchi — a shy and gentle Sasquatch with a long brown beard and blue earmuffs meant to conjure the mystery and wonder associated with the Canada’s wilderness.
Sumi — an animal guardian spirit, who flies with the wings of the thunderbird, is described as “a natural born leader with a passion for protecting the environment.”
Quatchi and Miga will represent the Olympic Games while Sumi will represent the Paralympic Games.
Mascots unveiled for Vancouver Olympic Games _English_Xinhua
Understand?
If so, now learn about the 4th mascot, Mukmuk — a Vancouver Island marmot sidekick considered an honorary member of the mascot team.
I know these mascots are all about marketing potential. Why didn’t they choose the Spirit Bear, the most popular and obvious choice? Must have been a committee compromise.
For comparison, here are the Beijing mascots:
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Friendlies.
The Friendlies consists of five members: BeiBei, JingJing, HuanHuan, YingYing, and NiNi. The five mascots incorporate fish, giant panda, fire, Tibetan antelope, and swallow designs respectively, and each also represents one of the five Olympic Rings. When the five names are put together, they form a pun on the phrase ‘Beijing HuanYing Ni’ which means ‘Beijing Welcomes You’.
I think the 4 Canadian mascots could take the 5 Friendlies in a cage match. Don’t you?
Gymnastics Coaching.com 