The Top 10 Coolest Olympic Mascots

Cool Olympic Mascot #5. Hare, Coyote and Bear

Keeping to the country’s heritage, the trio stood for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics’ motto. The snowshoe hare, coyote and American black bear represented “Citius, Altius Fortius” (Faster, Higher and Stronger).

Cool Olympic Mascot #4. Cobi

For some, it can be difficult to figure out what exactly the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics mascot is. But the trick is to not overanalyze because Cobi is simply a dog in a suit.

Cool Olympic Mascot #3. Ollie, Syd and Millie

Whether it’s the names or the animals, the trio was perfect for the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. The kookaburra, platypus and echidna symbolized the event, the host city and the new millennium.

Cool Olympic Mascot #2. Schneeman

Some would find it surprising to see one of the first mascots created to be ranked so high, but the snowman is definitely cooler than most. The 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics mascot stood for the “Games of Simplicity”.

Cool Olympic Mascot #1. Izzy

One of the reasons this particular mascot for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics is at the top of the list is because nobody knew what it was. That was the point; “Izzy” was an abstract fantasy figure derived from “What is it?”.

Sources: Official Beijing Olympics Website

Which one do you think is the coolest Olympic mascot? Are there any other mascots you know of that should have been mentioned?

If you're interested in looking at other mascots that were created for the Olympic Games over the years, then you might want to head over to the official website for the Olympic Games.

 [Update: This article was first written for the Summer Olympics in Bejing.  I don't know if I would include the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Mascots in my list of the Top 10 Most Coolest Olympics Mascots. Would you? Where do you think they fall on the list?]

 2010 Vancover Olympics Mascots