Winter Olympics Games Ticket
Have you seen a sea bear around lately? What about a sasquatch? Any sightings of an animal spirit lately? These are the mascots for the 2010 Winter Olympics that will take place in Vancouver, Canada. Since 1968, each host country of the Olympics has featured a mascot, which was a native of the host area. Mascots provide a friendly connection to the events, and give a tangible identity to the many products being marketed. Plus, they're available to buy even if you don't have tickets for the events. Let's take a look at the mascots of Winter Olympics that have been introduced in years past. The first mascot was introduced for the Winter Olympics in 1968 in Grenoble, France. Schuss, a little man on skis, was an unofficial mascot and was not a plush toy, but was found on pins and other small toys. In 1976, Austria had a snowman called Schneeman for a mascot. The soft plush is very popular among collectors. The mascot for the 1980 Winter Olympics was supposed to be a live raccoon named Rocky. Unfortunately, Rocky died before the Olympics began, and was replaced by the plush Roni, the raccoon. Roni was the first mascot who appeared in various sporting poses on products.
When the Olympics debuted in previously war-torn Sarajevo, Vucko, the little wolf, was the mascot readers of a Yugoslavian newspaper voted in. Four years later, the Winter Olympics in Calgary saw two mascots, Howdy and Hidy. The brother and sister polar bears were given their names when the Calgary Zoo sponsored a naming contest and received 7000 entries. In 1992, the city of Albertville, France was the host for the Olympics, and a star-shaped snow imp named Magique became the mascot. The intended mascot, Chamois the goat, was nixed as mascot two years before the Olympics began. The Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway had the first mascots that looked like people. Haakon and Kristin were two Norwegian children from folklore. Blond haired and blue-eyed, they looked very much like the real life children who traveled the world portraying the mascots in order to promote the Games. In Nagano, Japan, four snow owls eventually capture the hearts of the Olympic fans. Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki were brightly colored owls with large yellow eyes and big smiles. The Olympic motto means faster, higher and stronger. The 2004 Salt Lake City, Utah Olympics, the mascots took that motto literally. Powder, the snowshoe hare, represented swiftness. Copper, the coyote, represented higher, and Coal, the American Black Bear represented stronger. In 2006, Turin, Italy had Gliz, the ice cube and Neve, the gentle snowball. The liveliness of Gliz and the elegance of Neve symbolized the alternative but complementary sides of the Winter Games. For 2010, Vancouver, Canada has unveiled its three mascots who come from First Nation legends: Miga, a sea bear who is part killer whale and part bear, Quatchi, a gentle sasquatch and Sumi, who is a guardian spirit and devoted to the Paralympic games. Through each of the winter Olympics, the mascots have continued to make a positive statement about the culture of the host country.
