In February 1968, the mascot was used for the first time at the Olympics in Grenoble (France). I invite you to look at the mascots of the Olympic Games of different years, among which there are animals, people and strange creatures. 
Schuss, 1968
This tiny skier became a symbol in the French city of Grenoble and the very first unofficial mascot. Schuss was printed on stamps and postcards and made into key rings. It sold in huge quantities, and the organizers of the Olympics realized that now there was nowhere without talismans, and they introduced permission for them. 
Valdi, 1972
The Dachshund is the most common dog breed in Bavaria. When the main sporting event in the world took place in Munich, it was this dog that became the first official mascot. 
Schneeman, 1976
This strange snowman accompanied all the participants of the winter games in the Austrian city of Innsbruck. 
Misha, 1980
The Olympics in Moscow gave birth to the most famous bear in the Union, which even after the games was sold in thousands of copies, being a symbol not only of sport, but also of victory and joy. 
Sam the Eaglet, 1984
The Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, USA, were accompanied by an eagle wearing a hat like Lincoln's and carrying a torch like the Statue of Liberty. This memorable image was invented by one of the artists of the Walt Disney company, who tried to make the most formidable bird in the world a welcoming and hospitable character. 
Headey and Howdy, 1988
The Winter Games were held in the Canadian city of Calgary, and then the mascots were two polar bears. Then they became the first double symbols. Later, other countries would use this tactic to separate mascots into Olympic and Paralympic ones. 
Hodori, 1988
The Amur tiger became the mascot chosen by the Koreans for the games in Seoul. They wanted to show their uniqueness and strength, but also make the character friendly to support the event's main goal of friendliness and hospitality. 
Kobe, 1992
This is how the Spaniards presented the shepherd dog at the games in Barcelona. The dog seems very strange until you find out its brief history: artists took Picasso’s technique as a basis. 
Haakon and Kristin, 1994
In the city of Lillehammer, Norway, the image of a person was first used for mascots. They were two children dressed in Viking costumes. 
Izzy, 1996
The Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA, became famous for the strangest and most incomprehensible mascot in history. This was the first time that the mascot was not drawn by artists, but rather modeled by a computer. True, the artists made some adjustments, giving Izzy wide eyes and a radiant smile, but no one understood who it was. Then the organizers came up with a name similar to the question What is it? (“What is this?”), and then the children simplified it. 
Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki, 1998
Snowy owls walked around Nagano, Japan. Under the appearance of simple owls, the Japanese laid a deep meaning. Firstly, they represented four of the main islands into which the country is divided, and secondly, they symbolized the four elements. 
Ollie, Sid and Millie, 2000
In Sydney, Australia, the organizers decided to use symbols of the country's endemics for the images. So the platypus, echidna and kookaburra bird were chosen. 
Gunpowder, Coal and Copper, 2002
After the disastrous Izzy, the Americans decided to approach the mascots for the Olympics in Salt Lake City wisely. They used characters from Indian legends, and each hero was decorated with amulets with petroglyphs. 
Phoebus and Athena, 2004
Theatrical art in Greece was developed in ancient times, and people often staged puppet shows using the most primitive glove puppets. This image inspired artists during the games in Athens. 
Ice cube Gliz and snowball Neve, 2006
They became satellites of the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Then the organizers decided to attract people, and they were sent more than 200 images with ideas for future mascots. The choice fell on this couple. 
"Beijing welcomes you", 2008
This is how the names of the five Fuwa characters can be translated if they are put together into one phrase. They became symbols of China at the Summer Games in Beijing. 
Kvatchi, Miga and Mukmuk, 2010
These strange creatures accompanied the participants of the games in Vancouver, Canada. The artists say they took their images from animals such as marmots and bears. 
Wenlock and Mandeville, 2012
What inspired the English organizers of the London Summer Games to create such a strange mascot? It's all about the author's imagination: it is believed that after the construction of the stadium for the games, an extra steel beam was left, and two mascots were born from it. Steel allows you to better demonstrate the persistent and fighting character of the participants. 
Vinicius and Tom, 2016
During the summer games in Rio, the Brazilians thought for a long time about who to make their mascots and decided to “cast a spell” by mixing different animals and different plants. 
Suhoran and Pandabi, 2018
At the winter games in the Korean city of Pyeongchang, a white tiger and a black bear became the main characters. 
Miraitova and Someity, 2020
At the games in Tokyo, Japan, organizers decided to play with Japanese words. Thus, “Miraitova” can be translated as a fusion of the words “future” and “eternity,” which perfectly characterize the Olympics. "Someichi" is the name of the Japanese cherry blossom tree, and it has become the mascot for the Paralympics. 
Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuei Ron Ron, 2022
A panda in an ice shell and a red paper lantern are the mascots presented in Beijing. 
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