The Olympic Mascots

I love a lot of things about the Olympics. The spirit and passion of the athletes and fans, the convergence of cultures, the media smorgasbord at the games. There’s one part of the Olympics that perplexes me. The Olympic mascots. I understand their purpose, to further express the theme of the Games and create merchandising opportunities. However, sometimes I just don’t get the mascots themselves. They can just be a little…corny. Vancouver’s mascots are no different, walking the line between corny and cute. Inspired by the First Nations, the mascots are as follows.

Miga: a mythical sea bear.
Quatchi: a sasquatch
Sumi: an animal guardian spirit who wears the hat of the orca whale (orca whales have hats?), flies with the wings of the mighty Thunderbird, and runs on the strong furry legs of the black bear. Sumi is the mascot for the paralympic games.
The three are also joined by Mukmuk, a Vancouver island Marmot, who is not an official mascot but acts as Miga, Quatchi and Sumi’s sidekick, cheering them on from the sidelines. This sidekick role is a first for Olympic mascots, and after a brief campaign to have Mukmuk named an official mascot, it appears as if he'll remain on the sidelines.



I guess I just have a hard time adjusting to the overall harmlessness and good intentions of the mascots. I'm used to more edgier suits, like the Phillie Phanatic of the Philadelphia Phillies, or Rowdy of the Dallas Cowboys, mascots that taunt opponents mess around with fans. I suppose that again shows why the Olympics should be placed on a higher level than American professional sports. Even the mascots get it right.