The official mascots for the 2010 London Summer Olympic Games have been revealed and, well … they’re sorta creepy-looking, don’t ya think? Of course, the mascots have a background story that’s SUPPOSED to explain why they look the way they do … we’re just not sure it’s gonna be enough to explain these weird characters.
Wenlock & Mandeville
Here are three things you should know about the new Olympic mascots:
- They’re not furry animals
- They’re not male or female
- They don’t have cutesy names
Meet Wenlock and Mandeville. They’re named after two small English towns outside of London, where the next Summer Olympics will be held in 2012. Officials say that they’re going to be a big hit with kids and will inspire young people to get more involved with sports.
The two mascots are based on a story by children's author Michael Morpurgo, in which they are formed by a welder from the last drops of steel from the girders of the Olympic Stadium in east London. The video below shows the animated film where the figures are brought to life and change appearance, imitating athletes like Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and British boxer Amir Khan and diver Tom Daley. The film shows them leaving on a journey that will take them across Britain from now until 2012.
Video: Out of a Rainbow
Mascots Explained
Wenlock and Mandeville
Wenlock wears the Olympic rings as friendship bracelets, and its head is formed in the shape of a medals podium. Mandeville's head is shaped like a bicycle racing helmet. Each mascot has a single eye in the middle of its face representing a camera lens that will capture their experiences on the way to 2012. Kids can interact with both the mascots by going to the Official London 2012 Mascots Website, where they can even invite them to come and visit their schools! Each mascot is also going to have its own Facebook and Twitter page.
Olympic Mascot Trivia
Did you know …
- The first official Olympic mascot was a colorful dachshund dog named Waldi at the 1972 Munich Games
- Other cool mascots: Amik the beaver (Montreal 1972), Misha the bear (Moscow 1980), Sam the eagle (Los Angeles 1984) and Cobi the surreal dog (Barcelona 1992)
- One of the most criticized mascots in Olympic history was Izzy the blob from the 1996 Atlanta Games
