The History of Olympic’s Summer Mascots 1972-2024: DIStory Dan Ep. 96

[@DistoryDan]

Check out my new podcast FUN FUN FUN: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYWYm4tonLd_l9Esi=5lTkMLYQurKD99na

[@NathanSpies]

Olympics mascots are CRIMINALLY Underrated

[@Fabian057-q7j]

YO WHAT UP

[@TomasGomezGoitia]

OMG

[@saravaughn8282]

7

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@NathanSpies Apparently, Miraitowa and Someity are still popular today. So, they’re not that underrated.

[@Shadowfan4eva]

@@FoxGalahArtStuff yeah

[@andrew_inc.4541]

Can’t believer Disney Dan forget my favorite Olympic mascots...... Mario & Sonic.

[@DistoryDan]

bwahahahaha

[@JuanGomez-ke5py]

Or Pikachu or Sailor Moon

[@DeagoKotaro]

Too bad the Olympics thought it was a good idea to end the series and invest into NFTs and Esports

[@gracekim1998]

@@DeagoKotaro yeah i don't know much about Esports but NFTs is evil

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@DeagoKotaro The Olympics really needs a new leader who actually knows how to run the company.

[@annekeener4119]

The Phrygian cap is actually an ancient symbol that the French Revolution adopted. Basically, when Roman slaves were freed, they were given a special hat called a pileus. During the Middle Ages, the pileus was mistaken for the similar looking Phrygian cap (which had different symbolism attached) so the Phrygian Cap started to mean liberty and independence where before it had meant intelligence, exoticness, and power. Then the French Revolution adopted a red version as their main symbol and Paris kept it.

[@night6724]

The US senate also uses the Phrygian hat on the seal and so does Haiti

[@Solongparterns]

Holy yap bro

[@livelise4890]

The Sydney Olympics had a paralympic mascot too - Lizzie the Frill-Necked Lizzard. Her frill is green and gold, shaped like our continent. She's supposed to be tough and full of attitude since frill-necks live inland out in the middle of the desert. As an 8 year old, I was so happy to get the Lizzie beanie-baby toy in my Happy Meal that summer and took her everywhere.

[@cartoonoholic]

I had a Lizzie plush toy when I was 5. It was a big orange Lizzie plush and she was my favourite toy. But sadly one day when we went out, I lost her. I realized it on the car trip home and I was devastated, But then they had the Mcdonalds Happy Meal toys and I was like "it's Lizzie's baby!" and I felt better... A small part of me still misses that plush. I love the Australian Olympic Mascots. Syd, Millie, Ollie and Lizzie are so cute, I remember they also had picture books about them. I wish they would still use them.

[@amymarks6615]

Lizzie forever 🎉 Also I died at Millie the Ant Eater and KOOKABOORA love Dan but 😅

[@korofel]

Izzy is so 90s it hurts. But also I've seen it pointed out that Phryge looks like the anatomical structure of the clitoris which I SO can't unsee.

[@DistoryDan]

GOOD LORD

[@bluegold1026]

Justice for Izzy! Izzy is one of my favs actually because of his cartoony nature. The big shoes and white toony gloves really stand out to me.

[@jose_erik]

There should be a part 2 of the Olympic mascots, but the winter ones, and also a special video with the Paralympians

[@AlexPerrine]

I think Sam Eagle Olympic mascot should be brought back for the 2028 Los Angeles games

[@Shadowfan4eva]

And a new refined look

[@bluegold1026]

I think it should be a new character who is very closely tied to Sam: one of Sam's decedents, like his grandchildren or something.

[@bobcat420]

I think they should use that eagle Murphy, for the Olympics. That one that started raising a rock so they gave him a real baby at one point, and he was a great bird dad. I think he would be a great mascot

[@TheLeshi]

Now we need the Winter Olympic Mascots please!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Waldi was created by designer Otl Aicher, who was also responsible for designing the logo for Lufthansa! Waldi was based on a long-haired Dachshund named Cherie von Birkenhof. He was designed to match the colors of the Olympic rings, ergo, blue, yellow, orange and green. However, there were no black or red, which was a conscious decision by Aicher because those were colors related to the National Socialist Party's rule over Germany as they occupied much of Europe during WWII, thus they chose orange instead. While Waldi was the first official Olympic mascot, there were unofficial Olympic mascots before him. Starting with Smoky from Los Angeles 1932. Smoky was an actual Scottish terrier mix that appeared early on in the Olympic Village's construction, with some claiming he was born on the same day that work on the Village began on January 2, 1932 (Los Angeles 1932 were the first to have an official modern Olympic Village). He became the Olympic Village's mascot as he was extremely popular with all visiting delegations, posing with athletes and was given a blanket on which were pinned medals, pins and badges of many nations. Both the 1968 Winter and Summer Olympics in Grenoble and Mexico City had unofficial mascots too, Schuss (a cartoonish skier; in alpine skiing, a schuss or schussboom is a straight downhill run at high speed) and Chac Mool (a pink jaguar; Chac Mool means "great jaguar" in Yucatec Maya and was based off a throne of a pink jaguar found inside the Kukulkan/El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá) respectively. And while historically Amur/Siberian tigers have been found in Korea, they're not found in Korea today. Koreans chose a tiger because tigers are historically important in Korean culture. The tiger is viewed as the guardian of the Korean people, and the Korean Peninsula is said to resemble a tiger. Baekho, the white tiger, is described in myths and narratives as a divine imaginary animal that watches over the mountains and nature. In the myth of Dangun, the founder of Gojoseon, a bear and a tiger wished to become human beings. The bear turned into a woman by observing the commandments to eat only mugwort and garlic for 100 days in a cave, but the tiger could not endure the ordeal and ran off, failing to realize its wish. The bear gave birth to Dangun. Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics's Soohorang is the continuity of Hodori from the 1988 Summer Olympics, while the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympics's Bandabi is the continuity of Gomdoori (two Asian black bears/moon bears) from the 1988 Summer Paralympics

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

Sam Eagle, Syd, Ollie, Millie, and Miraitoawa are my favorite Olympic mascots! I love their designs; they are both cute and cool.

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@CSXincyRailfan Agreed

[@jaclynpabers3198]

The 2016 ones are really cool and they look like something from adventure time

[@Shadowfan4eva]

You are so right

[@gabrielchee8470]

​@@Shadowfan4evaapparently many people made the connection too, I think it's the way they're drawn (mainly the head and limbs)

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

Miraitowa and Someity are easily my favourites! No freaking contest! I was very awestruck by how good they were in 2021 when I learnt about them! Also fun fact about them, they are still popular after the Tokyo Games and still get posted about regularly on social media. Heck, they've even fortunately returned after the Tokyo Olympics lots of times and are still active to this day. In fact, their latest appearence is on September 22nd 2024 in a Tokyo Parasports Forward event! Mirasome is such a masterpiece and it deserves to be kept for all of eternity as a legacy of Tokyo 2020 and should expand as time goes on in new ways!

[@ModelsExInferis]

Still gutted I couldn't buy either of them, they were wicked!

[@Shadowfan4eva]

Hello there

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@Shadowfan4eva Hi.

[@theonlytman2344]

I own plushies of both! They're very cool and adorable mascots that deserve their fanbase! It's actually surprising yet awesome that they still have relevance in Tokyo, as well as dedicated fans!

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@theonlytman2344 Me too and I agree!

[@celo7carvalho]

Wait. I never thought that Vinicius was such a hard and strange name for US hahaha. You guys have Vinny right? Just add Cius hahahaha You did nailed it a couple times tho Dan, good job! Vini and Tom are named after the songwriting duo Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim, the frontmen for the Bossa Nova music, they wrote many of the standards, most notably Garota de Ipanema that you guys love to play on elevators for some reason lol❤

[@DistoryDan]

Yeah I don’t know why that one gave me so much trouble. Thank you!!! I honestly love Rio’s mascots. They were so creative.

[@celo7carvalho]

@@DistoryDan you should see the MEMEs. We still use them every now and then

[@celo7carvalho]

(For more fun with Brazilian mascots, search what Carreta Furacão is)

[@Gamergirl-ls7to]

I really miss Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. 😔

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

Stupid NFTs! If only the IOC stop being stupid or get a new leader who can actually run the company well.

[@Shadowfan4eva]

@@FoxGalahArtStuff and make more Sonic and Mario Olympics video games

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@Shadowfan4eva Yeah.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

When Moscow hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics, it was still the Soviet Union, so it wasn't completely Russian, it was a union of different Soviet socialist republics besides the Russians! But yes, the bear was the national animal of the Soviet Union (that's the anthem of the Russian Federation at 3:27, not the Soviet Union), and bears have always been affiliated with Russian culture. Cobi wasn't a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Cobi's a Catalan sheepdog which is a different breed! He was designed by Javier Mariscal and his Cubist style was inspired by the interpretations of Picasso of a masterpiece from Diego Velázquez called Las Meninas. It's not kookabarra, it's kookaburra (which fun fact, Hollywood likes to use the kookaburra's call for jungle scenes)! And Millie's an echidna! Echidnas are also known as spiny anteaters, however they are not related to South American true anteaters. Echidnas are members of the order Monotremata, the only known group of living mammals that lay eggs, rather than bearing live young, the same group as the platypus. A Daidala isn't exactly a doll, even though the Olympic committee called them dolls, they're religious artifacts. A Daidala's a sculpture attributed to the legendary Greek artist Daedalus, who is connected in legend both to Bronze Age Crete and to the earliest period of Archaic sculpture in Bronze Age Greece. The legends about Daedalus recognize him both as a man and as a mythical embodiment. He was the reputed inventor of agalmata, statues of the gods which had open eyes and moveable limbs. Also, while the Phrygian cap became a French and American Revolution symbol, it didn't start out that way. They're named after Phrygia in what's now Turkey. In ancient Rome, freed slaves wore a similar style of hat, called the pileus, to indicate their liberty. In Europe, it was later assumed that the pileus and the Phrygian cap were one and the same. A shame you didn't talk about the Paralympic mascots! Cobi's Paralympic companion Petra was based on Mariscal's friend, trans artist Lorenza Böttner who had lost her arms in an electrical accident as a child and became famous in Barcelona because of her artistic interventions in which she painted on the ramblas dancing to happy music using her legs, feet, mouth and body! The Sydney 2000 Paralympics mascot was Lizzie, a frilled dragon with a frill in the shape of Australia! Vinicius's Paralympic companion represented Brazilian flora as mentioned, and together, they represented Brazil having the greatest biodiversity on the planet! And after a vote selected their names, they were named after The Girl from Ipanema's co-writers Antônio Carlos "Tom" Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes. While Wenlock was named in honor of Much Wenlock and the Wenlock Olympian Games as mentioned, the 2012 Paralympics mascot Mandeville was named after Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which organized the first Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, considered to be the precursor to the Paralympics. While the Paris 2024 mascots are both Phrygian caps, the Paralympic mascot has a prosthetic leg, the first Paralympic mascot to have a prosthetic leg! And the Atlanta 1996 Paralympics mascot was Blaze the Phoenix! The phoenix was an ideal mascot for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and later for BlazeSports America, a nonprofit organization that is the direct legacy of the Games. The phoenix has long been the symbol of Atlanta's rebirth after its devastation in the American Civil War. But most importantly, it is the personification of the will, perseverance and determination of youth and adults with physical disability to achieve full and productive lives.

[@porkstudios762]

😳😳

[@Bananacustardcostuming]

I LOVE Izzy and the closing ceremony, thats THE most 1990s thing I've ever seen and i adore it!

[@interrobangings]

i love Cobi so much, he looks like a character from Captain Underpants

[@DistoryDan]

Omg he does

[@Shadowfan4eva]

OH MY FRICKING GOD THATS SO TRUE, I WISH DAV PIKLEY CAME UP WITH COBI WITH SPANISH PEOPLE BUT HE WAS PROBABLY A KID WHEN THE BARCELONA GAMES HAPPENED

[@stuffingtonjfluffypantsiii]

OMG the Izzy special was real! I thought it was a fever dream I had. I thought I remembered Izzy as looking like the Olympic Torch.

[@NicholasMoreau]

Real, and on KZbin, after limited airings and then an extended period of inaccessibility.

[@xavierperez7984]

Olympics mascots are mad underrated

[@zzangteeny]

WHAT

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

Miraitowa and Someity are still extremely popular in Japan, so they are not that underrated. This has gotten to the point where they still appear regularly after the games and basically became permenant characters. In fact, they would've gotten new merchandise, a TV series, a video game that is avaliable to the general public and much more if the JOC had the rights (which I think they can get eventually) and/or if the IOC wasn't so strict on past mascots.

[@emmaoyle9451]

I learned about Izzy when I went to the Olympics museum in Colorado, and they had a case of Izzy-themed merch.

[@jullyasonhadora1519]

Believe it or not, Vinicius and Tom got an official Lego set

[@DistoryDan]

Amazing.

[@Shadowfan4eva]

@@DistoryDan they are royalty including Miraitowa and Someity Fun fact (YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE THIS): when Mickey Mouse comes to Russia in 1980 (I think) Misha would be by Mickey’s side ALL THE TIME

[@jessicalaw5582]

Aussie me is proud of our mascots, but I made it a mission to collect all the 2008 Beijing mascots when I was 7 from Maccas. I still have all five, and my mind every time will choose either JingJing, Nini or HuanHuan. I think I am very partial to JingJing though.

[@PKLuver944]

I hope it also makes you happy that this was a shared experience with me. I wish I knew where they went...

[@Minkfang]

I remember people putting them on their school bags

[@OldmanMoran]

This is the content I needed today!

[@Shadowfan4eva]

Dan *inhales* you don’t know how much I needed this

[@MsPrettyWeird]

I was so obsessed with the Beijing mascots when I was younger lol

[@ZoeyaEstq]

Almost at 100 great job again disney dan

[@jawllypop1750]

Hope you do the Winter Games mascots in two years.

[@EpixAndroid]

He could do it, as the IOC have already released two mascots for the 2026 Winter Games called Milo and Tina. They are CUTE!!!

[@jawllypop1750]

@@EpixAndroid Eeeeeeeeeee! They are so flipping cute! Two pine martins!

[@BellePullman]

@@jawllypop1750 yes! Please do a part 2 in winter!

[@DistoryDan]

Absolutely. Thats the plan. Unless this comment gets like 10,000 likes. Then I’ll do it asap. Lololol

[@jessitheblonde]

This was so fun! I would love to see a video on the Winter Olympic mascots, too.

[@gabrielchee8470]

Apparently he wants to wait for 2 years...

[@jessitheblonde]

@@gabrielchee8470 Yeah, I commented before I finished the video. lol

[@tiakay]

I most certainly agree with the Beijing Olympic mascots! They’re definitely the best ones ever!

[@mathieuleader8601]

they should a race where all mascots compete with one and other

[@RydiaLS83]

I was one years old, in 1984. My mom got me the eagles stuff animal for me. I don't know, if I still have him. all I remember, it was in my room hanging stuff animal net. when I was little lol

[@Garry.mc.slarry]

Last weeks i was on vacation in France and omg i saw that mascot everywhere. in gas stations. stores .even in the camping where I stayed. And thousands of souvenir shops

[@CitronCassis]

After a difficult beginning, everybody realized the Phryges are adorable. And they are the most unhinged mascot ! The best one ! 😅 Phryge may come back for the Olympics in French Alps in 2030 :)

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

Apparently, the IOC does not want to do that because they want each Olympics to have a seperate graphic identity. This is actually a bit dumb as they could just redesign the Phryges to have a seperate graphic identity from the time they were used for Paris 2024. Also, event mascots have been repurposed before after their events. For example, the 2015 Pan American Games mascot (Pachi) became the mascot of the Ontario Games once the 2015 Pan American Games were over. He was of course redesigned to fit that purpose and have a seperate graphic identity from the 2015 Pan American Games.

[@CitronCassis]

@ oh no ! Many of us are SO expecting the Phryges to comeback. 😑🫠. That’s silly from the IOC.

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@CitronCassis Agreed. Especially when you consider the fact that they allowed a character who looked like a white and fat Misha (1980 mascot) to be the one of the mascots of the 2014 Games. He could easily been passed off as Misha himself but using a different design for the Sochi Games to have a seperate graphic identity. So, the IOC thinks that a mascot can't be used for another Olympic Games just because they are that character and believe they can't have a seperate graphic identity (when they can and has been proven to). This is why they allowed what looked like a rebranded Misha to be the mascot of the 2014 Games; he looked like a seperate character. That’s some pretty confusing and stupid logic from the IOC.

[@lennies_mindful_life]

I'm proud Londoner I got to go an event and give the mascots a hug 🤗 and the plushies still out in family room

[@gabrielchee8470]

18:19 according to a CG animation around the time of their debut, apparently they were forged from 2 drops of steel found and picked up by an old man for his (grand?)kids and brought to life by a rainbow.

[@jullyasonhadora1519]

Vinicius and Tom was part from my childhood, I remember seeing on cartoon network when I was 5 or 6

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

I saw them on your channel.

[@AndrewsMagicandMore]

I didn't realize Izzy was the blue character's name, although I do recall his(?) design seeing him just about everywhere.

[@DaveysWonderfulWorld]

My favourite Olympic sports mask I would have to be Izzy mainly because in Busch gardens Williamsburg or Busch Gardens Tampa one of the attractions was actually called wild Izzy

[@daisytapia7038]

Not gonna lie, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games was my intro to the games and I LOVED the mascots from the Beijing games. I still have this t-shirt of HuanHuan that I got as a kid

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

I had no idea there were so many cartoons based on Olympic mascots! XD That being said; it's actually pronounced "DAHK-hund", with a hard "C". And Millie the "anteater" is actually an echidna, like Knuckles. ; )

[@foxbeareffects]

Thanks for this video!! Rio de Janeiro 2016's mascots have captured my heart most dearly. Now, waiting for the Winter Olympics mascots...

[@LindseyLouWho]

Japan making an anime about an American Olympics mascot is so Japan.

[@DistoryDan]

TRULY

[@gabrielchee8470]

​@legoiagohuh, why didn't they do the same to the snowlets and parabbit? (I'm not blaming them for not doing miraitowa and Someity becuz of the situation but honestly weird They Didn't make cartoons starring their predecessors)

[@Eternal_Moon]

It's a pity that there are so few fans of Olympic mascots... They are too interesting not to think about them! BTW, can you make the winter games edition? 2026 games mascot got revealed this year, so I guess you have a lot to talk about!

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

Well, Miraitowa and Someity are still extremely popular (to the point where they still appear regularly after the event). But that's only Miraitowa and Someity, not the other mascots. So, your wish is only sorta granted.

[@gabrielchee8470]

​@@FoxGalahArtStuffi also see fuwa fans from time to time on these videos, and according to blood moon bobby some of the other guys also have their fans in real life (like sam in LA)

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@gabrielchee8470 Ok. But they are not as popular as Miraitowa and Someity are. Like, Miraitowa and Someity were so popular after the games that even the Japanese government was aware of it!

[@gabrielchee8470]

@@FoxGalahArtStuff Woah that's impressive

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

@@gabrielchee8470 Also, here's some facts that are relevant to this topic to an extent. Miraitowa and Someity keep appearing at events after the games because of the Tokyo Metropolian Government gets the rights from the IOC when they need them. The TMG knows that they are still popular and has even admitted it. Unfortunately, due to the IOC's unecessarily strict mascot guidelines, there is only so much that can be done with Miraitowa and Someity after Tokyo 2020, which explains why a Mirasome game from 2022 is unavaliable to the public.

[@Themissingkangaroo]

Vinicius and Tom look like adventure time characters

[@tedioustotoro4885]

The 2012 Paralympic mascot was actually named after the hospital my mother works at because that’s where the Paralympics were invented

[@potatodeez]

There is a place in LA called: "LA84" in which sam is there and also can be seen sometimes dabbing

[@courage1363]

Hey you should do Hienz Doofenenshmirtz soon since Disney parks are teasing him to appear for the Not So Scary Halloween 2024

[@purdy.1582]

I love olympic mascots and this video! You should do a video on the paralympic mascots.

[@stephaniecarlson1068]

So that's what that toy was. Izzy. I always wondered where and what that toy was off of. Thanks for solving that mystery.

[@hayleywaalen2612]

I heard that in 2026, The mascots will be Ermines.

[@alexstarkwing]

I already love them, they're so adorable

[@ModelsExInferis]

I'm grateful you didn't dump on Wenlock and Mandeville. I know a lot of people really hated them, but I loved them! I loved them SO much I bought every version of them that was available! I'd have loved the gold ones given to the athletes, but obviously they weren't available to buy in shops. I've got keyrings, pens, action figures (I say action figures, but they don't really move! They just look cute doing different sport!), all of the stuffed toys, with the pinnacle of my W&M collection being a 1 metre tall Wenlock! For some reason I can't imagine, they didn't do a 1 metre Mandeville, which does irritate me. One day I might just make my own, Wenlock won't be so lonely then! So yeah, I was the one Brit that didn't hate them! I can't tell you how amusing it is to me that your picture of the Barcelona mascot was flanked by Linford Christie and Colin Jackson, arguably Britain's finest runners! Could you not find a picture of a Spaniard willing to pose with the cubist pup? And just in case anyone cares (and I do because I'm an animal nerd) Sydney's mascot is an echidna, not an anteater. Anteater's are native to Central and South America, not Australia.

[@hollyryan9879]

You weren't the only Brit who loved them, I thought they were great, I loved them enough to buy the plushes 😁

[@henrycreel_draws]

I remember having McDonalds Happy Meals and getting Wenlock and Mandeville, it's like a code memory 🤣 they're a bit weird, but I love them for it!

[@violetfirecat]

I loved them too! I still have a big Manderville plush with the union jack pattern on it in my bedroom, and I'm pretty my sure my sister collected all the McDonald's toys too. They're weird little guys but they were very loved in my house back in 2012 haha

[@gabrielchee8470]

​​@@violetfirecatconsidering 90% of criticism was that the duo didn't scream UK, I was thinking about if the union jack variants could address that, but on second thought it feels like they're as plain and blatantly simple as Sam being an eagle

[@daniexists6]

Man, I cannot believe we can go from point A to point B of Izzy from the Atlanta games and Strong Bad.

[@AVClk28]

Izzy got it's own wild maus coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

[@thatmanwithanose]

Cool video Dan!

[@magicallymargie]

I dont known if anyone mentioned this but in Virgina's busch gardens theme park they had a wild mouse Rollercoaster called wild Izzy.. based on the Olympic mascot.. also my household was a Izzy fan we loved him. Lol

[@sakuranokunoichi]

Eagerly awaiting the Winter Olympics mascot video.

[@maryblakley3590]

I love my Canadian Winter 2010 mascots: Sumi, Miga, Quatchi, and MukMuk (although he was more of a fan than an official mascot).

[@Taydar]

You couldn't not see those one eye things around 2012 in London, there where statues everywhere.

[@BDuB09WildCard]

Hell yeah, I think besides Izzy the mascots here aren’t entirely hated

[@Angelbird57438]

18:20 1. Vinicius and Tom are my favorite 2. They appear in: Mario and sonic At the rio Olympic video game 3. They look cute!

[@Shadowfan4eva]

Indeed

[@gabrielchee8470]

Hmmm...how many mascots met Mario and sonic and friends?

[@RogueRebel16]

My mom has plushies of Sam of the Eagle and Ziggy, the Ziggy definitely threw us off as kids but I'm fond of him, only because they remind me of childhood.

[@BellePullman]

You'd think that a priority for Olympics mascots would be costumes that allowed some degree of flexibility? mobility? maybe allow the mascots to kinda participate in some of the poses, at least, for the sports they're representing? London said "Nah!" Those things were so heavy they couldn't move... no usable hands... the single eye recording everything they saw... no mouth to speak... creepiest concepts of them all!

[@ModelsExInferis]

Could not disagree more, they're bloody awesome!

[@Hi5_teamedgefanglowywolf]

amazing Dan

[@mil_cate]

sorry to correct because this video is SO GOOD, but Millie is an echidna, not an anteater.

[@DistoryDan]

Dang. My bad.

[@mil_cate]

@@DistoryDan don’t worry, they’re very similar 🤍

[@theonlytman2344]

Miraitowa and Someity (Tokyo 2020) win for me! Very unique and interesting designs!

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

Agreed big time!

[@burn_offical1186]

“Crab a torch and start jogging” not this time. This time it’s “grab a torch and start parkouring” why was there a masked person with the torch 😭

[@rorocastle]

I need a World Cup mascot video

[@maryhughes6372]

I went to the 1996 Olympics when I was a kid and I got an Izzy plush toy. I thought it was cute.

[@TheLeshi]

I didn't know I needed this... but I needed this. Thank you.

[@AgentVolkat]

I was today years old when I learned about Sydney's UNOFFICIAL mascot: Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat and I'm happy with this discovery. Also, I don't know WHY I have it, but I do own an Izzy plush. I thiiiink it was on a clearance rack and younger me liked anything Olympics? Either way, Izzy is definitely odd.

[@TomasGomezGoitia]

The Sydney ones are my favourites Also Millie is actually an echidna, not an anteater

[@SoYoYle2763]

My grandpa and grandma have the Athena plush shown on 14:47 in their house and it is still there today in the basement! Edit:They also have a jingjing keychain Which is pretty old and has lost some of its color.

[@jonathanthegreat2008]

4 more episodes to 100! 💯

[@mathieuleader8601]

in my mind Frances olympic mascot looks like a mascot for a blood donation charity

[@UrSammich]

I actually had a little keychain of Bejing's omplyic mascot. One of them, but I lost it as it fell off. In high school I was in Chinese class and my teacher arranged it so we could write to a sister school and had stuff sent to us. I have one of the things I got and I still have one or two of my letters (in english) as well as one of the photos. I wonder if in ancient history they had something similar to mascots in the olympics. I'm pretty sure there is or least something close. Greek Gods possibly.

[@LimeTH2]

The Paris Oylmpics logo is supposed to look like a medal, the flame, and the hair and face of a woman. Why they didn't make THAT the mascot, I'll never know. Could've had a stylized round headed minimalist lady in all white and gold colors, or I dunno, a cute girl character like Jucika or something.

[@markthomas6236]

I love what you do

[@birchwwolf]

the original Izzy was perfect, wow. also hey, what about the Winter Olympics mascots??

[@DistoryDan]

When the Winter Olympics comes so too shall the evolution.

[@miguel.angel17]

Amazing video

[@imaginatenation3697]

wow you watched the whole 25 minute video when the video only came out a minute ago? You must be some time traveler! lol!

[@nsponenberg]

Izzy gives off some serious Mr. DNA vibes.

[@matthewhorvath4684]

another great video, but as an person with too much animal knowledge, I feel I should bring up if it hasn't already, Mille wasn't a true anteater as you said, she's really an Echidna (just like Knuckles) however they are referred to as spiny anteaters sometimes. Obviously didn't ruin the video for me hehe, but just wanted to bring that up.

[@perrilewis180]

The 2016 ones are the height of the bean mouth calarts cartoon design.

[@gabrielchee8470]

What other characters had this design trope? I've never seen anything look like them beyond adventure time characters.

[@jaymax200studios2]

Favorites that I like is Munich72,LA84, Seoul 1988 and Tokyo 2020. LA Resident Hopefully the LA 2028 Olympics they bring back Sam or a new modern mascot just saying.

[@pink-a-palouza7888]

The 2008 Olympic are my favorites and the first one I actually remember I had some merch of them❤❤❤❤

[@briandonegan8480]

You asked the right question about Izzy. In fact you almost used his original name. Whatizit which was shortened to Izzy with the redesign.

[@gabrielchee8470]

...huh, I've never realized that's where that name came from

[@TinyTurtleDuck]

1, phenomenal video as always. 2, in case no one mentioned, the dog breed dachshund is usually (at least in America) pronounced dox-und! ✨

[@karebear3152]

*facepalms at Dan's pronounciation of "dachshund" * It's "daak-snd" not "dash-unds" lol 🤣 Also, I loved Izzy lol. I still have his Hallmark ornament from back then.

[@ChuckyChickenCartoons]

The Izzy hate is so unjustified; I had the Izzy Genesis game and….yeah it wasn’t the best, but he was fun!

[@annasahlstrom6109]

Ho-Dori was my favorite. I always thought he was cute.

[@emily91303]

Woohoo 🎉! Summer Olympics mascots history video is here!

[@tfromcleveland3741]

4:48 Seals are just the bears of the ocean

[@jkspeed3677]

The Tokyo mascot looks like a Pokemon.

[@FoxGalahArtStuff]

I heard many people found that a problem. I don't find it a problem because it's not like they look like a specific species of Pokemon. It's just that their artstyle makes them look like Pokemon. They're not going into Gamefreak's intellectual property. And a lot people didn't find it a problem either because Mirasome (a fanmade nickname for them) is still popular after the games. Heck, they even still appear after Tokyo 2020!

[@memelessnaiki]

i missed this

[@RedKoopaPlumber]

4:36 You arent wrong! Seals, Sea lions and Walruses closest relatives are actually bears!!! 😂 🦭🐻

[@DistoryDan]

WHOA REALLY?

[@RedKoopaPlumber]

@@DistoryDan yes! Bears and seals genetically fall under the Arctoidea clade (family tree) and are closest to one another, otters, racoons, weasels and badgers also fall but are closer to one another than to bears and seals.

[@RedKoopaPlumber]

Gerald the seal would closer related to Fozzie than say Mufasa or Pluto

[@theprodigiousspiderstarTM]

I didn’t know that the Olympics had so many mascots. I think my favorites are Sid Ollie and Millie.

[@DistoryDan]

They are the cutest trio.

[@theprodigiousspiderstarTM]

@@DistoryDan the Best Olympic Trio

[@Minkfang]

My Australian eyes widened at the pronunciation of kookaburra and then I just about fell over at calling Millie an anteater! Not even a hedgehog an ANTEATER 😂

[@bluegold1026]

You need to check out other sporting event mascots, like both the mens AND women's World Cup or the World University Games, in addition to the Winter Olympics. Who do you think the mascot(s) is gonna be for LA 2028? I predict he or she will be a descendent of Sam The Eagle from '84 who promises to continue his legacy.

[@thecrazydisneyparksfanatic921]

what's weird though is that the Atlanta mascot is the only one I remember

[@emilyholasek63]

I'd like to see Disney Dan watch Animalympics and Laugh Olympics, two forgotten cartoons celebrating the Olympics, and give his review.

[@DistoryDan]

I don’t know what either of these are! I’ll check them out!

[@emilyholasek63]

@DistoryDan Laff-A-Lympicsis the name of the program. It's a Hanna Barbera cartoon program.

[@KathrynBurke713]

I remember watching Animalmpics so many times as a kid! Was one of my favorite VHS tapes I had.