Olympic Mascots

Since Graeme has written all the blogs to date, I figured I should do my part. The Olympics is rich in history, and part of the history is the story behind the mascots. Over the years, Olympic mascots have ranged from a beaver in 1976 to strange looking dolls with big feet in 2004. Admittedly, I was surprised by the variety and, well, the randomness of the mascots. This year is no exception.

Let me introduce you to to the 2008 Olympic Mascots:

Beibei (a fish representing the blue Olympic ring)
Jingjing (a panda representing the black Olympic ring)
Huanhuan (a flame representing the red Olympic ring)
Yingying (a Tibetan antelope representing the yellow Olympic ring)
Nini (a swallow representing the green Olympic ring)

Pretty cute, eh? As someone who was never a fan of stuffed animals, I can honestly say I find the little creatures cute. Even better, when you put the first syllables of each mascot together you get:

"北京 欢迎 你 !" or "Beijing huanying ni!".

This phrase translates to "Beijing Welcomes You".