Day -19: Mascot Mayhem (1932-1972)

Early Olympic mascots, from a random dog to a very intentional dog 🐕

As someone who brings up Olympic mascots in more conversations than is reasonable or appropriate,¹ I’ve come to realize that many/most civilians don’t even know the Olympics has mascots. It honestly feels very Olympics-y that so much money, effort, and cynical focus-grouping gets poured into mascot creation every two years only for them to remain deeply culturally niche despite association with one of the most famous events on the planet. It’s also funny that despite all the aforementioned money, effort, and cynical focus-grouping, most Olympic mascots turn out somewhere between “charmingly weird” and “unlookably creepy.”

It is not in my nature to confine several generations of Olympic mascots to a single newsletter post, so I will begin today with mascot prehistory and make my way to the present over the coming days. Welcome to Mascotopia—you’ve arrived just in time.

Los Angeles, Summer 1932: Smoky (Unofficial)

Decades before there were officially branded Olympic mascots in any true, there was Smoky (alias: Smokey), a super cute dog who was born in the Olympic Village while it was being constructed. He just kind of hung around and befriended the athletes and was perfect and everyone loved him!!!

After the Olympics, he went to live with a nice family but tragically died in a hit-and-run just two years later. If you’re in the mood for weeping, here is an excerpt from his Los Angeles Times obituary: “Smoky was the only inhabitant of the village who spoke every language. He used the universal sign language—just wagged his tail….He grew up, survived a couple of broken legs, posed with all the athletes, barked ferociously at autograph hounds, and wore a blanket on which were binned medals, pins and badges of many nations…..Perhaps he’s gone on to play once more with the half dozen residents of the village who have joined the Olympic athletics of Ancient Greece in some far off Happy Hunting Grounds.”

Grenoble, Winter 1968: Schuss (Unofficial)

Schuss was a weird skiing guy who was allegedly designed in just one night. Some of the Grenoble Olympics’ signage and merch featured Schuss, but he isn’t considered an official mascot, I guess because no one at the time was like “here is Schuss, our mascot.” Anyway, the Olympic mascots of today are depicted as such well-rounded multi-sport athletes that it’s pretty quaint to see Grenoble’s just be “a guy who skis”—although one does wonder if non-skiing athletes at those Games were offended to see such a visual focus on skiing.²

Mexico City, Summer 1968: Chac Mool (Unofficial)

The Mexico City Olympics are rightly famous for their incredible graphic design, but unfortunately for me personally, they just barely missed the boat on the whole “every Olympics has to have an official mascot” thing. Still, they did give out this cutie as a souvenir, a plush jaguar inspired by a cool throne in Chichen Itza. You may recognize the name “chac mool” as a type of Mesoamerican sculpture featuring a cool reclining dude turning his head to look at you, or—if you took AP Spanish Lit—as the title of a Carlos Fuentes short story in which a chac mool statue magically floods the home of a putz named Filiberto.

Sapporo, Winter 1972: Takuchan (Unofficial)

As far as I can tell, the actual organizers of the Games did not create or promote Takuchan, but there was a ton of Olympics-y Takuchan merch from major Olympic sponsors Seiko and Takushoku (a watch company and a bake respectively). He is apparently an Asian black bear and I love him tremendously.

Munich, Summer 1972: Waldi

It’s our first-ever official Olympic mascot! The Munich 1972 organizing committee was very committed to branding the Olympics in a way that would not remind people of Nazism, so they eschewed problematic mascot ideas like “an eagle” in favor of a beautiful dachshund.

Waldi was actually the second prototype that Munich came up with, following the much-less-elegant Lumpi. He was based on an IRL dog allegedly named Cherie von Birkenhof, who the organizing committee had irresponsibly gifted to the head of the International Association of the Sports Press (you should not give people pets as gifts!!!).

He was a huge hit, which makes sense to me—just look at him! In addition to his likeness selling tons of souvenir, Waldi also had the honor of inspiring the shape of the Olympic marathon course that year (the same marathon course where a random man tried to steal Frank Shorter’s glory!!). According to insidethegames.biz, the route started “at the back of the neck and raced counter-clockwise around the head, legs and belly to the tail, thence along the back until exiting into the Olympic Stadium.” Waldi!!!

1. I don’t do this as part of any particular agenda so much as because the Olympic mascots, as a general group, possess my mind and soul, and it’s difficult to talk to someone for a long time without mentioning them.

2. Realistically, they probably did not care.