The Use of Mascots in the Olympic Games Table of Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 The Origin of Olympic Mascots ............................................................................... 2 The True Purposes of the Olympic Mascots ............................................................ 3 The Evolution of the Olympic Mascot. ..................................................................... 4 Positive and Negative Effects ................................................................................. 4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 5
References ....................................................................................................................... 5
1.
Introduction The existence and value of mascots has been established for many decades,
sporting reams have used mascots, commercial brands have used mascots, and more recently the Olympic Games have used mascots. The idea of a single easily recognizable symbol that is associated with the international event may be seen as a useful marketing tool, but it also provides a number of economic opportunities for merchandising. The first mascot was used in 1972 in Munich, but the change in the role of the mascot appears to reach a critical point with the where there was the use of Misha, the mascot of the Mascow 1980 games. This may be viewed as a gradual evolution concerning the way mascots were used and