Trivia Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Olympic Mascots?
It wouldn't be the Olympics without the wacky mascots that symbolize each of the Games. How many can you identify?
By Kelsey Grad
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1. Who Is This?
Hint: This multi-colored, striped dachshund was the first official Olympic mascot.
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It's Waldi, from the 1972 Munich Games!
Fun Fact: The Munich Olympic marathon course was designed to look just like the outline of Waldi.
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2. Who Is This?
Hint: This animal is native to this Olympic's host country—and represents hard work, a trait often associated with this nation.
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It's Amik, from the 1976 Montreal Games!
Fact: "Amik" means beaver in the Algonquian language, the most widely spoken language of the American Indians in Canada.
Thieme, Wolfgang/Wikimedia Commons
3. Who Is This?
Hint: This mascot was the first to achieve mass merchandising success—he was turned into a stuffed animal, featured on TV shows, had his own cartoon books, and more.
Thieme, Wolfgang/Wikimedia Commons
It's Misha, from the 1980 Moscow Games!
Fun Fact: During the closing ceremonies, this bear appeared with a tear in its eye, mourning the end of a successful Games.
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4. Who Is This?
Hint: This mascot is the national bird—and beloved symbol—of the host country.
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It's Sam, from the 1984 Los Angeles Games!
Fun Fact: This bald eagle mascot was designed by Bob Moore, a Disney artist who also designed the Walt Disney commemorative stamp, and served as the head of publicity at the company for 30 years.
Thorfinn Stainforth/Wikimedia Commons
5. Who Is This?
Hint: This friendly tiger was chosen to symbolize the hospitable nature of the people of the host country. The public sent in suggestions for its name, and one was chosen as the winner.
Thorfinn Stainforth/Wikimedia Commons
It's Hodori the Tiger, from the 1988 Seoul Games!
Fun Fact: In the original design there were actually two mascots—two nearly identical tigers—but Hodori was the more popular of the two and ended up going solo in the final designs.
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7. Who Is This?
Hint: During these Olympic Games, this mascot appeared in numerous advertisements for sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Brother Industries, and Dannon.
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It's Cobi the Sheep Dog, from the 1992 Barcelona Games!
Fun Fact: Cobi (whose name was inspired by the acronym for the Barcelona Olympic Organising Committee [COOB]) was designed to honor one of Spain's most esteemed artists: Picasso.
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8. Who Is This?
Hint: This computer-generated mascot could morph into different shapes and forms.
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It's Izzy, from the 1996 Atlanta Games!
Fun Fact: When Izzy was first introduced at the 1992 Barcelona Games, he was called "WhatIzIt? The name was changed before the Atlanta Games.
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9. Who Are They?
Hint: This trio of mascots—which represent earth, wind, and water—are native to the host country.
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They're Millie, Syd, and Olly, from the 2000 Sydney Games!
Fun Fact: Their names were derived from shortened versions of the words Olympic, Sydney, and Millennium.
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10. Who Are They?
Hint: These mascots were modeled after ancient dolls and represent the values of participation, brotherhood, equality, cooperation, and fair play.
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They're Athena and Phevos, from the 2004 Athens Games!
Fun Fact: Their names are derived from Greek mythology: Phevos, the god of light and music, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
Deutsch Fetisch/Wikimedia Commons
11. Who Are They?
Hint: When combined, the names of these five dolls form a phrase that welcomes visitors to the host city.
Deutsch Fetisch/Wikimedia Commons
They're Beibei (贝贝), Jingjing (晶晶), Huanhuan(欢欢), Yingying (迎迎), and Nini (妮妮), from the 2008 Beijing Games!
Fun Fact: The designer of these mascots originally created over 1,000 different dolls before the final five were decided upon by the Olympic committee.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Wikimedia Commons
12. Who Are They?
Hint: These new-age animated characters represent two drops of steel.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Wikimedia Commons
They're Wenlock and Mandeville, from the 2012 London Games!
Fun Fact: Fans can play online games with Wenlock and Mandeville—and even create their own mascots.
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