Wenlock and Mandeville

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Wenlock (left), mascot of the Olympics, and Mandeville (right), mascot of the Paralympics Wenlock and Mandeville.svg
Wenlock (left), mascot of the Olympics, and Mandeville (right), mascot of the Paralympics

Wenlock is the official mascot for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and Mandeville is the official mascot for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, both held in London, England, United Kingdom. [1] Named after Much Wenlock and Stoke Mandeville, they were created by Iris, a London-based creative agency. [1] [2] The mascots were unveiled on 19 May 2010, [3] marking the second time (after Vancouver's Miga, Quatchi, Sumi and Mukmuk) that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time.

Contents

Characteristics

According to the associated (fictional) storyline by Michael Morpurgo, [4] they were formed from the last girder of the Olympic Stadium. Their skins are made of highly polished steel allowing them to reflect the personalities and appearances of the people they meet. Their one eye is a camera and on their heads are yellow lights symbolizing those of a London Taxi.

Wenlock

Wenlock's name is inspired by Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England, where in 1850 the Wenlock Olympian Society held its first Olympian Games, regarded as an inspiration for the modern Olympic games. [3] The five friendship rings on his wrists correspond to the five Olympic rings, and three points on his head represent the three places on the podium. [4] The pattern on his body symbolises the whole world coming to London, [5] and the shape of his helmet represents the shape of the Olympic Stadium. [4]

Mandeville

Mandeville is named after Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. In 1948, Stoke Mandeville Hospital organised the first Stoke Mandeville Games, considered to be the precursor to the Paralympics. [3] The three spikes on Mandeville's helmet represent the Paralympic Agitos. He also represents friendship.

Animated shorts

Wenlock and Mandeville
Genre Sports
Fantasy
Animation
Created by Michael Morpurgo
Composer Thomas Hewitt Jones
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Running time5-10 minutes
Production companyCrystal CG
Original release
Network BBC
YouTube
UK Cinemas
ReleaseMay 19, 2010 (2010-05-19) –
May 28, 2012 (2012-05-28)

The British children book writer Michael Morpurgo wrote the story concept to go with Wenlock and Mandeville and an animation titled “Out of a Rainbow” was produced by the London office of Beijing-based Crystal CG. [6] [7] [8] This was followed by a sequel, "Adventures on a Rainbow", which was released on 1 March 2011. The video featured guest appearances from Olympic athletes: Phillips Idowu, Shanaze Reade and Tom Daley as well as Paralympic athletes: Ellie Simmonds and Mandip Sehmi. [9] These were followed by "Rainbow Rescue" (5 December 2011) and "Rainbow to the Games" (28 May 2012). The music for the animated films series was scored by British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones. [10]

The official theme song, "On a Rainbow", was written by McFly's Tom Fletcher. [11]

Comic strip

The mascots featured in an Olympic-themed comic strip in The Beano , starting in issue 3601. The strip, written by Ryan C. Gavan and drawn by Nigel Parkinson, ran until the Olympics began in July 2012. [12]

Reception

The mascots received mixed reviews. Creative Review said "Both are clearly of the digital age. And we have to say, we think they look rather good". [13] However, others were more critical, with one columnist claiming that the pair were the product of a "drunken one-night stand between a Teletubby and a Dalek". [14] Others have compared the mascots to Izzy, the mascot of the 1996 Summer Olympics, another critically panned mascot. [15] Still others have remarked that the pair resemble Kang and Kodos from The Simpsons . [16] Media critic James Bridle has observed that the characters' huge eyes make them fitting mascots for London, the most surveilled city on earth, with the highest ratio of CCTV cameras to inhabitants. [17]

Character appearances

The mascots were available to make appearances at schools and community events around the host nation. The then Chair of the London Assembly Baroness Dee Doocey raised the issue of the fees. She suggested only the "richest of schools" would be able to afford the appearances. Appearances were £850, rising to £1,720 for events requiring an overnight stay, and £2,450 for a trip to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Although LOCOG insisted they only charged the Appearance fee, the fee actually covered the performers, cohort, van hire, and accident liability insurance.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paralympic Games</span> Major international sport event for people with disabilities

The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, have been held shortly after the corresponding Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The World Abilitysport Games are a parasports multi-sport event for athletes who use wheelchairs or are amputees. Organized by World Abilitysport, the Games are a successor to the original Stoke Mandeville Games founded in 1948 by Ludwig Guttmann, and specifically the International Stoke Mandeville Games—the first international sporting competition for athletes with disabilities which was held in 1952, itself an Olympic year, between British and Dutch athletes and which ultimately was the forerunner to the modern Paralympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Mandeville</span> Human settlement in England

Stoke Mandeville is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located three miles from Aylesbury and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the market town of Wendover. Although a separate civil parish, the village falls within the Aylesbury Urban Area. According to the Census Report the area of this parish is 1,460 acres (5.9 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Summer Paralympics</span> Multi-parasport event in the US and UK

The 1984 International Games for the Disabled, commonly known as the 1984 Summer Paralympics, were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. There were two separate competitions: one in Stoke Mandeville, England, United Kingdom for wheelchair athletes with spinal cord injuries and the other at the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, United States for wheelchair and ambulatory athletes with cerebral palsy, amputees, and les autres [the others]. Stoke Mandeville had been the location of the Stoke Mandeville Games from 1948 onwards, seen as the precursors to the Paralympic Games, as the 9th International Stoke Mandeville Games in Rome in 1960 are now recognised as the first Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Mandeville Hospital</span> Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England

Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital located on the parish borders of Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, England. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Summer Paralympics</span> Multi-parasport event in London, England

The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Games as organised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig Guttmann</span> German-British neurologist (1899–1980)

Sir Ludwig Guttmann was a German-British neurologist who established the Stoke Mandeville Games, the sporting event for people with disabilities (PWD) that evolved in England into the Paralympic Games. A Jewish doctor who fled Nazi Germany just before the start of the Second World War, Guttmann was a founding father of organized physical activities for people with disabilities.

Wenlock may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenlock Olympian Games</span> Sporting event

The Wenlock Olympian Games, dating from 1850, are a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. They are organised by the Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS), and are held each year at venues across Shropshire, England, centred on the market town of Much Wenlock. One of the two mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics was named Wenlock in honour of the Wenlock Olympian Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in London, England

The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the group stage in women's football, began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, followed by the opening ceremony on 27 July. There were 10,518 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who participated in the 2012 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paralympic symbols</span>

The Paralympic symbols are the icons, flags, and symbols used by the International Paralympic Committee to promote the Paralympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain at the Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has participated in every summer and winter Paralympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Summer Paralympics torch relay</span>

The 2012 Summer Paralympics torch relay ran from 22 to 29 August 2012, prior to the 2012 Summer Paralympics. The relay began with four flames kindled on the highest peaks of the four nations of the United Kingdom, which were then brought to their respective capital cities for special events honouring the upcoming Games. For the relay proper, the four national flames were united at a ceremony in Stoke Mandeville in preparation for a final 92-mile (148-kilometre) journey to London.

Stoke Mandeville Stadium is the National Centre for Disability Sport in England. It is sited alongside Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Stoke Mandeville Stadium is owned by WheelPower, the national organisation for wheelchair sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia at the 1984 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Australia competed at the 1984 Summer Paralympics that were held in two locations - Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America. Four months before the beginning of the 1984 summer Paralympics, the University of Illinois terminating their contract to hold the Games. Australia won 154 medals - 49 gold, 54 silver and 51 bronze medals. Australia competed in 9 sports and won medals in 6 sports. Australia finished 8th on the gold medal table and 7th on the total medal table.

2012 Summer Olympics marketing was a long running campaign that began when London won its bid to host the games in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olly, Syd, Millie and Lizzie</span> Official mascots of the 2000 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Sydney

Olly, Syd and Millie were the official mascots of the 2000 Summer Olympics, and Lizzie was the official mascot of the 2000 Summer Paralympics, both held in Sydney, Australia.

The Cerebral Palsy Games are a multi-sport competition for athletes with a disability, which under the former name of the International Stoke Mandeville Games were the forerunner of the Paralympic Games. The competition has been formerly known as the International Cerebral Palsy Games or the Stoke Mandeville Games. Since the 1990s the Games have been organized by Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA), so they called also CPISRA World Games.

References

  1. 1 2 Gibson, Owen (19 May 2010). "London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville, drips off the old block". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  2. ↑ "iris worldwide | London 2012 Mascots". Irisnation.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  3. 1 2 3 "London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville". BBC News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 "London 2012 Mascots: Wenlock". www.olympic.org/london-2012-mascots. International Olympic Committee . Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "London 2012 Olympic Games: A Logo in Controversy". SlideShare. 2019-09-20. pp. 5–9. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  6. ↑ "The London 2012 mascots". London 2012. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "animates London 2012 Mascots". Crystal CG. Archived from the original on 2011-03-27. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  8. ↑ "Organisation". Crystal CG. Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  9. ↑ Laing, Jemima (2 March 2011). "Plymouth diver Tom Daley stars in animated Olympic film". BBC News. Archived from the original on 30 March 2013.
  10. ↑ "London 2012 Mascots Wenlock and Mandeville return to the big screen for the final time". Inside the Games. 12 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "McFly singer Tom Fletcher writes London 2012 mascots song". The Mirror. 17 November 2011.
  12. ↑ "Beano Comic Issue 3601". The Beano . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  13. ↑ "Wenlock & Mandeville: London's Olympic mascots". Creative Review. Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  14. ↑ "Behold the One-Eyed Compromise Monster", Globe and Mail, 21 May 2010
  15. ↑ Rhone, Nedra (2010-05-21). "Atlanta's Olympic mascot meets its ugly match". ajc.com. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  16. ↑ Alpert, Emily (26 July 2012). "London Olympics: Making sport of mascots Wenlock, Mandeville". Los Angeles Times.
  17. ↑ HOLO Magazine, Volume 1. August 2013.
Preceded by Olympic mascot
Wenlock
London 2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by Paralympic mascot
Mandeville
London 2012		Succeeded by
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