Mercadotecnia, Publicidad y Diseño: Evolution of Logos And Mascots in Olympics from 1924 To 2016

Logo is a symbol and trademark for any company. When it comes to creating logos for sports team or sports events likeOlympics or Fifa World Cup, each and every small detail matters. The very first thing a logo does is id identifies the organization. It should spread the vision and the mission of the event. Olympics is held every four years, and every year a new logo is used to represent the country. A Mascot is either an animal, person or object to bring luck to the team or the event. Mascots are many a times the national animal or bird of the country or city where the team resides. Mascots embraces a global identity.

Every Olympics logo and Mascot represents the enthusiasm, the emotions, the history of the country. It helps the people of the country to get emotionally attached with the games. With 2012 London Olympics just round the corner, it would be pretty interesting to know how every four years the design of the logos and mascots has started to evolve over the years. In this post we are publishing Evolution of Logos And Mascots in Olympics from 1924 To 2016

In the meanwhile you may want to read other Olympics, Logos and Fifa World Cup related articles

Olympic Mascots From 1972 – 2012

1972 Munich Olympics – Waldi, The Dachshund

Waldi, the dachshund. Very popular in Bavaria, but he also possesses qualities which are indispensable to an athlete: resistance, tenacity and agility. These are among the reasons he was chosen to be the mascot. He was dressed in pastel colors to express the gaiety and joy of the Olympic festival.

1976 Montreal Olympics – Amik, The Beaver

It was a beaver called Amik, a name taken from the Algonquian language, which is the most popular language amongst the American Indians in Canada. Amik means beaver.The beaver symbolizes hard work. The Mascot bore the emblem of the Montréal Games and a red sash representing the ribbons to which Olympic medals are attached.

1980 Moscow Olympics – Misha, The Bear

The mascot of the Moscow Olymics was chosen with the help of a public opinion poll conducted jointly by the editorial boards of the TV programme “V mire zhivotnykh” (Animal World) and the newspaper Sovetski Sport (Soviet Sport). The majority of the 45,000 letters received suggested a bear.

1984 Los Angeles Olympics – Sam, The Eagle

Designed by Walt Disney, Sam is a cartooned Eagle with sheer American characteristics who wears the dress of the legendary American Uncle Sam with a star-spangled background in red, white and blue, typical colors of USA.

1988 Seoul Olympics – Hodori, The Tiger

Hodori was designed as an amicable tiger, which portrays the friendly and hospitable traditions of the Koreans. Ho is derived from the Korean word for tiger, and Dori is a diminutive for boys in Korea. The friendly tiger of Seoul wore the Olympic Rings around its neck, much like a medal, while sporting a traditional Korean dance hat on its head.

1992 Barcelona Olympics – Cobi, The Dog

The mascot was a dog named Cobi. The Barcelona Organizing Committee for Olympics had specially produced a TV series for Cobi to communicate the spirits of the Games. The Valencian artist, Javier Mariscal, created the dog Cobi as official mascot of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

1996 Atlanta Olympics – Izzy

WHATIZIT – a computer-animated mascot created by a local design firm, DESIGNefx-was chosen as the most innovative concept because of its ability to change in appearance to represent different athletes and sports; hence its name, “What is it?” It carried the name Izzy, derived from “What is it?” because no one seemed to know exactly what Izzy really was.

2000 Sydney Olympics – Olly, A Kookaburra, Syd, A Platypus and Millie, An Echidna

2000 Sydney Olympics Macots - Olly, Syd and Millie

Olly, Syd and Millie are three native Australian animals chosen as mascots for the Sydney 2000 Games. They represent earth, air and water. “Olly”, a kookaburra, epitomizes the Olympic spirit of generosity and universal generosity (from Olympic); “Syd”, a platypus, represents the environment and captures the vigor and energy of Australia and its people (from Sydney); “Millie”, an echidna, is a techno-whiz and information guru, with all the facts and figures at her fingertips (from Millennium).

2004 Athens Olympics – Athena and Phevos, Sister and Brother

2004 Athens Olympics Mascots - Athena and Phevos

Athena and Phevos were two children, a sister and a brother, related to ancient Greece. The source of their inspiration was an ancient Greek doll from the 7th century BC. The bell-shaped terracotta doll has movable limbs and is dressed in a tunic. In ancient times, these dolls were known as “daidala”. Their names were inspired by two Olympian Gods: Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron of the city of Athens. Phevos, the Olympian god of light and music, known as Apollo.

2008 Beijing Olympics – The Fuwa

2008 Beijing Olympics Mascots - The Fuwa

They were five personified dolls, called “Fuwa” in general, and respectively named “Beibei” (carp), “Jingjing” (panda), “Huanhuan” (Child of Fire), “Yingying” (Tibetan antelope), and “Nini” (swallow). Their names put together – “Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni” – literally reads “Beijing Welcomes You” in Chinese, offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of the Five Friendlies as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

2012 London Olympics – Wenlock and Mandeville

2012 London Olympics Mascots - Wenlock and Mandeville

Wenlock and Mandeville are the official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics being held in London, United Kingdom. Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton. They are named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, a facility in Buckinghamshire that initially organised the Stoke Mandeville Games, the precursor of the Paralympic Games.