London 2012 Mascots unveiled- what do you think?
Discussion
Wenlock and Mandeville
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/sports/olympics/...
The characters are not cuddly or cute, but steely, strapping and genderless. Each has a single eye (actually, a camera), a light on their heads representing a London taxi cab and bracelets that represent the five Olympic rings. Their amorphous, aerodynamic shapes make them look like science-fiction versions of Gumby.
Like other Olympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville are meant to evoke the spirit of the Games and the host country, but also connect children with sports. At first glance, these non-mammalian characters seem far from achieving those goals.
But the London organizers took their cue from the children they interviewed during their 18-month creative process. Children, they said, are more comfortable than many adults with inanimate, virtual characters serving as vehicles for telling a tale, real or imagined.
“The one thing that came out of our research with children is they weren’t looking for a cuddly toy or something human, but for something rooted in a very good story,” Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the organizing committee, said in a phone interview. “I’m not saying this is high art, this is fun.”
In keeping with this digital theme, Wenlock and Mandeville will exist as virtual characters on Facebook and Twitter pages. Children will be able to create their own narratives for the characters. If one of the characters is introduced virtually to one of the Queen’s guards, its head will morph into a bear-skin hat and its body will wear a uniform.
In this way, the characters are more than static dolls or chirpy animal images slapped on every imaginable piece of merchandise (though there is plenty of merchandise for sale), but chameleon-like, multi-tasking mascots.
“Kids now expect to interact and make things their own,” said Grant Hunter, the creative director at Iris London, the agency hired to dream up Wenlock and Mandeville. “The possibilities are endless.”
Adults of a certain generation may be startled by the mascots’ design, but they are likely to embrace their back story. Wenlock takes his name from Much Wenlock, the British town that hosted a summer sports tournament that served as the inspiration for Pierre de Coubertin, the creator of the modern Olympic games. Mandeville pays homage to Stoke Mandeville, where the precursor to the Paralympic Games began in 1948.
That the designers have managed to link Britain’s long Olympic history with the latest in digital characters is an Olympian achievement, designers said.
“Biology and technology are fusing,” said Edward M. O’Hara, the chief creative officer at SME, which creates logos for professional and collegiate teams. “It’s certainly not the same model as previous mascots, but as a concept, they are right in line with what appeals to youth.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/sports/olympics/...
The characters are not cuddly or cute, but steely, strapping and genderless. Each has a single eye (actually, a camera), a light on their heads representing a London taxi cab and bracelets that represent the five Olympic rings. Their amorphous, aerodynamic shapes make them look like science-fiction versions of Gumby.
Like other Olympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville are meant to evoke the spirit of the Games and the host country, but also connect children with sports. At first glance, these non-mammalian characters seem far from achieving those goals.
But the London organizers took their cue from the children they interviewed during their 18-month creative process. Children, they said, are more comfortable than many adults with inanimate, virtual characters serving as vehicles for telling a tale, real or imagined.
“The one thing that came out of our research with children is they weren’t looking for a cuddly toy or something human, but for something rooted in a very good story,” Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the organizing committee, said in a phone interview. “I’m not saying this is high art, this is fun.”
In keeping with this digital theme, Wenlock and Mandeville will exist as virtual characters on Facebook and Twitter pages. Children will be able to create their own narratives for the characters. If one of the characters is introduced virtually to one of the Queen’s guards, its head will morph into a bear-skin hat and its body will wear a uniform.
In this way, the characters are more than static dolls or chirpy animal images slapped on every imaginable piece of merchandise (though there is plenty of merchandise for sale), but chameleon-like, multi-tasking mascots.
“Kids now expect to interact and make things their own,” said Grant Hunter, the creative director at Iris London, the agency hired to dream up Wenlock and Mandeville. “The possibilities are endless.”
Adults of a certain generation may be startled by the mascots’ design, but they are likely to embrace their back story. Wenlock takes his name from Much Wenlock, the British town that hosted a summer sports tournament that served as the inspiration for Pierre de Coubertin, the creator of the modern Olympic games. Mandeville pays homage to Stoke Mandeville, where the precursor to the Paralympic Games began in 1948.
That the designers have managed to link Britain’s long Olympic history with the latest in digital characters is an Olympian achievement, designers said.
“Biology and technology are fusing,” said Edward M. O’Hara, the chief creative officer at SME, which creates logos for professional and collegiate teams. “It’s certainly not the same model as previous mascots, but as a concept, they are right in line with what appeals to youth.”
Looks like something out of a kids manga cartoon.
Someone somewhere is having a bad f
king day.
when i look at it all i see is a long list of PC ideals.
I wouldnt be suprised if they fed this long list of PC ideals into a computer which then spat out a 'solution'.
Just goes to show political correctness has nothing in common with humanity.
i'm embarrassed for my country.
Someone somewhere is having a bad f
king day.when i look at it all i see is a long list of PC ideals.
I wouldnt be suprised if they fed this long list of PC ideals into a computer which then spat out a 'solution'.
Just goes to show political correctness has nothing in common with humanity.
i'm embarrassed for my country.
I saw this on the news last night. The animation to go with it looks like something rendered from the 90's! It's quite crap to be honest.....
We Brits aren't exactly great at promotional material. Just look at the political party broadcasts during the run up to the elections. Utterly, utterly crap and totally wimpy!
We Brits aren't exactly great at promotional material. Just look at the political party broadcasts during the run up to the elections. Utterly, utterly crap and totally wimpy!
I had a laugh/coughing fit seeing that. 
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