‘Schuss’ the skier (an unofficial

mascot) made his appearance at the

Grenoble 1968 Winter Games. He

is widely considered the ‘father’ of all

Olympic mascots .

But what is a mascot?

In Olympic Games tradition, a mascot is a person, animal or item that represents good luck. Mascots usually reflect the nature or culture of a host region or

country .

“Waldi”, the first official mascot to appear for the 1972 Munich

Games

Winter Olympic Games 1976 - Innsbruck

 This snowman symbolizes the "Games of Simplicity.”

1976 - Montreal - Amik

1980 – Moscow - Misha

1980 - Lake Placid - Roni

1984 – Los Angeles - Sam

1984 – Sarajevo - Vuchko

“ Vuchko", the tough and courageous wolf. This wolf has both a serious and a cheerful side, but it is happy rather than serious.

1988 – Seoul - Hodori

Calgary ‘88

“Howdy and Hidy” are an inseparable brother and sister pair of polar bears. "Hidy" is an extension of "hi", while "Howdy“ is the

American western slang for "hello."

1992 – Barcelona - Cobi

1992 – Albertville - Magique

 Half man-half star. "Magique" plays with the concept of dream and imagination through its star-like shape.

1994 - Lillehammer

Haakon and Kristin are two small Norwegian children in traditional

costumes.

1996 – Atlanta - Izzy

1998 - NaganoThe Snowlets: Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki are four owls; a bird who has long represented "the wisdom of the woods" in many countries .

2000 –Australia

2002 – Salt Lake

The Salt Lake 2002 mascots aim to reflect the Olympic motto "Citius, Altius Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger).

2004 – Athens

2006 – Turin – Neve & Gliz

"Neve": she is a gentle, kind and

elegant snowball; "Gliz": he is a

lively, playful ice cube.

2008 – Beiging

Beibei is the Fish,

Jingjing is the Panda,

Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame,

Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope

and Nini is the Swallow.

2010 – Vancouver

2012 –London