London's Olympic mascots - the weirdest ever?

Things to Do

Photos from the unveiling of the London 2012 Olympics mascots on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, and how they compare with mascots from years past.

The mascots for the 2012 Olympics in London were unveiled at a London school, Wednesday, May 19. "Wenlock," left, and the Paralympic mascot "Mandeville" were met with mixed reviews.

Powers of levitation? No, but the two characters are claimed to have been created from the last drops of steel left over from the construction of the final support girder for the Olympic Stadium. See? It all makes sense now.

Children played with the mascots at the press event. None seemed immediately scarred by the experience, but then, children are amazingly resilient.

Yep. Definitely creepy. So how do these whatchamacallits compare with Olympics mascots of years past?

Los Angeles, 1984 Summer Games: Sam the Eagle wore the red, white and blue.

Atlanta, 1996 Summer Games: Izzy, the ... well, 14 years later we're still not sure what he is.

Nagano, 1998 Winter Games: The "Snowlets" were a merchandising hit.

Sydney, 2000 Summer Games: Millie the Echidna, Syd the Platypus and Olly the Kookaburra were recognizable creatures.

Athens, 2004 Summer Games: Athena, right, and Phevos, named for Greek gods.

Beijing, 2008 Summer Games: Called the "five friendlies," they represented a fish, a panda, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow and the Olympic Flame.

Vancouver, 2010 Winter Games: Miga the sea bear, Quatchi the Sasquatch and Sumi the animal spirit.

1/11

The mascots for the 2012 Olympics in London were unveiled at a London school, Wednesday, May 19. "Wenlock," left, and the Paralympic mascot "Mandeville" were met with mixed reviews.

Today's Gallery Headlines

PHOTOS: Day 5 of spring training for the Braves

Metro Atlanta students write valentines to veterans

GHSA Championship, Dance, Akins Ford Arena, Athens

PHOTOS: Georgia teams dance way to state championships

PHOTOS: Day 3 of Spring Training for Braves

More Galleries

PHOTOS: The Weeknd electrifies the crowd at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz stadium

PHOTOS: Beyonce fans saddle up for 4-day Atlanta Cowboy Carter Tour stop

PHOTOS: Beyoncé fans arrive for 4-night Atlanta Cowboy Carter Tour stop

College Park Juneteenth Parade standalone photo

PHOTOS: Juneteenth Parade held in College Park

Alerts