United Kingdom Pavilion in Epcot is Selling Commemorative Olympic Merchandise

While Disney Theme Park Merchandise hasn’t developed anything specifically for the games there is an assortment of Olympic-themed items at the United Kingdom Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. Here is a quote from Sylvie Brumbaugh, Product Developer for World Showcase, with a little background and more details... "With the games taking place in London, I thought it was important to have the United Kingdom Pavilion carry some kind of merchandise to commemorate this event,” explained Sylvie. “I worked directly with the United States Olympic Committee to identify a small assortment of items including T-shirts, mugs, plush and a few other things.”

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Editorial Comic: Proposal for Denver 2022 Mascot

The comic above was posted by the local Denver website Denver Westword. I'm not sure what they are trying to say with it? Are they opposed Denver hosting the olympics in 2022? Are they saying Americans are an agressive bunch? Both? Maybe it's a local thing...

Sochi 2014 Mascots Revealed!

I'm a little late on posting this news but Sochi 2014 has selected their mascots for the Winter Games in 2014.

I do like the resemblance the bear has to Misha the mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.

Meet Zakumi the Mascot for the 2010 World Cup

London could learn a thing or two...

Here is what FIFA has to say about the character:

He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.

Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.

He loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.

Zakumi loves football. At one time he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness!

He does have one striking weakness. With all his energy, he needs frequent rests. Occasionally, in-between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times! But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.

Over the last years he has travelled the whole of Africa where the leopard habitat is good (pretty much everywhere from open savannahs, forests, jungles to mountainous areas, even deserts). He has therefore learned to adapt to new environments; enjoying the diversity in nature and people across the African continent

The name ‘Zakumi' is a composition of ‘ZA' standing for South Africa and ‘kumi', which translates into ‘10' in various languages across Africa.

Zakumi's main priority is to turn the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa into one huge, joyful and unforgettable party and show the thousands of international guests the warmth and spirit of the African continent.

"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi.

London 2012 Mascots Revealed!

The London 2012 Mascots were unveiled today. Wenlock & Mandeville! I'm speechless. I thought for sure London would redeem themselves after the debacle over their logo. I thought surely there is no way the Mascots would be as bad as the ugly logo they designed. I was right. They're not as bad... they're worse. How did these things get approved?! They look like characters from a student CG film from the '80s. The story they are pitching for the mascots are that they are made from drops of steel from the construction of the Olympic Stadium.

The mascots from the Vancouver 2010 mascots were a stroke of genius. It's a shame to see things go so drastically downhill from there. Let's hope Sochi 2012 can raise the bar again. (Maybe they can bring back Misha!)

You can read, see, and learn more about the mascots here: http://www.ourlondon2012.com/mascots/

Vancouver Winter Olympics Mascots Vinyl Toy Set!

Courtesy of Jeff Pidgeon's excellent toy collection, a photo of a Vancouver Winter Olympics Mascots vinyl toy set. Via.

ModNation Racers features in game Miga costume!

The upcoming PS3 game ModNation Racers features an in game costume of the 2010 Winter Olympic mascot Miga! Let's hope this is the begining of a trend and we see similar costumes show up as add-on content for LittleBigPlanet.

The first Youth Olympic Games mascots unveiled for Singapore 2010!

The Singapore 2010 Organising Committee unveiled the first Youth Olympic Games mascots on Saturday 21 November 2009: Lyo (pronounced Leo) and Merly.

Lyo is short for “Lion of the Youth Olympics”. A sports lover, he is fun-loving and hopes to inspire young people to keep fit and enjoy sport for life. He symbolises young people’s boundless energy, their determination to live life to the fullest and zeal to strive for excellence.

Merly got her name from “mer” (meaning the sea) and “ly” stands for liveliness and youthfulness. A passionate advocate of environmental protection, Merly believes that everyone has a role to play in working towards a sustainable future. She also wants to encourage young people to play an active role in their communities and promote respect for one another.

FUWA'S OLYMPIC STORIES Animated Series

From AWN:
The cartoon series FUWA'S OLYMPIC STORIES was produced by Beijing TV Station and Beijing KAKU Cartoon Satellite TV Ltd, with the authorization of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.

This series, with 100 episodes of 11 minutes each, is a TV play combining Chinese traditions with Olympic themes and is the largest animation series produced so far, with Olympic mascots as the main characters.

The story happens on the eve of the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

In a residential building near the "Bird Nest" National Stadium, a boy named Dayou receives a birthday gift from his parents -- a set of Fuwa, Olympic mascots.

Then conversations start between Fuwa and the KAKU toys that Dayou had before.

Stories are told about the origins and development of Olympic sport events, the setup and perfecting of the rules of the games as well as tales of Olympic history.

The skill of personification is combined with unique forms of cartoon art, historical materials and Olympic themes and sports spirit are ingeniously integrated, and the series tells many interesting and humorous stories that combine informative and educational content with video animation.

The main characters of the show:

*Fuwa -- Five Fuwa mascots of the Olympic Games. They are toys of an 8-year-old boy. They sometimes become alive when people do not notice.

*Bei Bei: Specializing in swimming and related items, Bei Bei is sweet, kind and careful, and displays magic and endless power once water is touched.

*Jing Jing: Specializing in items of strength, Jing Jing is honest, warmhearted and curious, and is able to instantly recount accurate figures and Olympic records.

*Huan Huan: Specializing in ball games, Huan Huan is full of the spirit and energy of a leader, showing overall abilities.

*Ying Ying: Specializing in track and field events, Ying Ying is impetuous and acts like an intellectual, often composing poetic verses in speech.

*Ni Ni: Specializing in gymnastic items, Ni Ni is warmhearted, smart and straightforward.

Vancouver 2010 Mascots Unveiled

WOW!! I don't know what else to say... these are fantastic!! I love the style. Kudos to the Vancouver Olympics organizing committee for putting for such great effort into these characters. This makes me even that much more excited about trying to attend the games.
The characters are:

• Miga -- a snowboarding sea-bear inspired by the First Nations' legends of the Pacific Northwest. Miga, described as mischievous and outgoing, is part sea-bear and part orca whale.
• Quatchi -- a shy and gentle Sasquatch with a long brown beard and blue earmuffs meant to conjure the mystery and wonder associated with the Canada's wilderness.
• Sumi -- an animal guardian spirit, who flies with the wings of the thunderbird, is described as "a natural born leader with a passion for protecting the environment."

Thanks to James, a friend of mine working in Vancouver, for the heads up!

You can find out more at the Official Site and at GamesBids.com