Thursday, June 10, 2010

London Mascots -Veronica


When i first saw these mascots for 2012 Olympic Games, like the rest of the world i was stunned and started questioning myself to make out what they are. Definitely nothing like the previous mascots. The birth of these characters will probably take a while to warm up, no question about that. Especially to the kids; one eye? That's a bit freaky and not a toy I would want to cuddle up with at night.

But it provoked me to learn more. So i looked them up and after reading and watching their film, interpreting what it means, i understood the whole meaning around it.

Mandeville is named after a village shire which inspired the modern Games. Wedlock is named after the hospital which the Paralympic Games were founded in the 19th Century. After watching the film, my interpretation is that these lovable characters are made from 2 pieces of girder from 2012's stadium, creating a 'rebirth' of Mandeville and Wenlock's history.

Other Countries like Australia and Japan, who have a lot of icons where people can associate which symbol belongs where, creating mascots are easy. But countries which lack in the area, like London, would be difficult.

I mean, how exactly do we interpret London? Double Decker buses… soccer… Beckham… the Queen…tea and biscuits…cloudy skies…rain…Jane Austen…to me personally, i think they did a great job with these mascots. And the story behind them. It'll cause a lot of controversy but that just makes them become a part of history and we all love that. It's boring living up to others expectations. Why not try something different? I give them 2 thumbs up :))

No comments:

Post a Comment