Since the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France the Olympic Games have a mascot, usually an animal native to the area or occasionally human figures representing the cultural heritage. The first major mascot in the Olympic Games was Misha in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Misha was used extensively during the opening and closing ceremonies, had a TV animated cartoon and appeared on several merchandise products, now things commonly practiced not only in the Olympic Games but also other competitions such as the FIFA World Cup. Nowdays, most of the merchandise targeted at younger consumers give more focus on the mascots, rather than the Olympic flag or organization logos.
Vuchko, a wolf, symbolizing the desire of humans to befriend animals. According to the IOC, it helped change the common preception in the region of wolves as frightening and blood-thirsty.
Howdy and Hidy, "The welcome bears", two polar bears representing Western Canadian hospitality. The bear siblings were the first dual mascots in the Olympic Games. The Calgary Zoo sponsored a contest to name the bears. Among the nearly 7,000 entries submitted, the names "Hidy" and "Howdy" were eventually chosen.
Izzy, an abstract figure whose name was changed from Whatizit (i.e. What is it ?) Izzy proved to be a very unpopular mascot. Busch Gardens, a theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S., named a new Wild Mouse roller coaster after the mascot, but the name was changed within the year.
The Snowlets - Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki, four owls, one for each year between Olympic Games. Their names were chosen from public suggestions. The first part of each name can be combined phonetically to create the (arguably nonsensical) phrase "Let's Snow".
Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat, an unofficial mascot, a wombat representing the irreverent Australian sense of humour. Fatso proved more popular than the official mascots — especially in Australia, where it was popularised in television broadcasts by the comedy duo 'Roy and HG'.
