London 2012 International

Education Programme

Out of a Rainbow: The story of the London 2012 mascots

A great rainbow arcs over the town down onto a giant steelworks.

On the floor lay the last two drops of British steel, used for the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

The drops of steel are transformed into two figures.

As a rainbow brightens, the figures come to life. They are the London 2012 mascots.

Learning fast, the mascots imitate photographs of athletes.

The mascots appear shiny, reflecting the people, places and things they meet.

The figures are named as Wenlock, the Olympic mascot, from the town of Much Wenlock, and Mandeville, the Paralympic mascot, from the town of Stoke Mandeville.

On their journey, the mascots will capture everything they learn, and of course, they are excited to find out about all the Olympic and Paralympic sports.

In 2012, Wenlock and Mandeville will be there, you’ll be there, and the whole world will be there!

Customise the mascots!In 2012, the whole world will help London and the UK celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games. To welcome everyone, London 2012 has created two mascots: Wenlock and Mandeville. Wenlock is the mascot of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Mandeville is the mascot of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

These mascots have been carefully designed to reflect the culture, excitement and creativity of the London 2012 Games. Their looks and personalities are unique.

Wenlock and Mandeville are very excited to be getting ready for the 2012 Games.

Make the mascots more personal to you. Go to the London 2012 website and customise their look. You can even display your new customised mascot in a gallery along with other new mascots from all over the world.

Activity idea

Teacher’s ideaCustomise one of the mascots to include aspects of your local community so that your school and your community are linked together by the mascot. You might want to consider local traditions and cultures, including food, music, dance, clothing, sport or anything else you can think of. Is your local community renowned for anything or has it been famous in the past?

from Lorraine Stone Kirk Hallam Community

Technology and Sports College

Activity idea

Add to the historyHave you seen the films of the London 2012 mascots? What will Wenlock or Mandeville do next? Get creative and invent a story of your own! Work alone or in groups. Your idea could be a short story, a poem, a drama play, or a radio show – in fact, it can be anything you want it. Just use your imagination! Remember: the more fun you have writing your story, the more fun people will have reading it.

Hello, I’m Wenlock, the official mascot for the London 2012 Olympic Games!

– My name comes from the town of Much Wenlock, in Shropshire, where the ‘Olympian Games’ that inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, still take place every year.

– I love all the Olympic sports – and I can’t wait to find out more about them.

– My eye is actually a camera lens so I can record everything I see. I’m really focused on my final destination – the 30th Olympic Games in 2012!

– I love meeting people and making friends. The bracelets on my wrists are friendship bands, in the colours of the five Olympic Rings.

– I’m made from highly-polished British steel used for the Olympic Stadium, so you might see yourself reflected if I meet you along the way.

– The light on my head is inspired by the lights on London’s iconic black taxis. The three points represent the places on the podium where successful athletes get to stand and receive their medals.

– I always try to do my personal best and I will do everything I can to help you do your best as well!

Do you love to learn? Do you enjoy meeting people and making new friends? Join me on my adventure at www.london2012.com/mascots

Welcome Wenlock

Activity idea

Inspiring imagesWenlock is on a journey around the UK meeting new friends and learning new things. What new things have you learnt recently? Have you made any new friends? Can you create an image that shows the things that mean the most to you? Share your images with your new friends and family.

Activity idea

Promoting the Olympic ValuesFriendship is one of the most important things in Wenlock’s life. What are the Olympic Values? How are the Values promoted on Wenlock’s journey? How can you promote the Olympic Values in your school or community?

Image sheet: WenlockWenlock has been learning about so many sports and events in preparation for London 2012. Here are some pictures of what Wenlock has learnt so far:

Name: WaldiWhich Games? Munich 1972More info: Waldi was the first official Olympic mascot. The vertical stripes on his body incorporate three of the five Olympic colours.

Name: AmikWhich Games? Montreal 1976More info: In one of the Canada’s native Indian languages, ‘amik’ means ‘beaver’. Beavers are renowned for being hard workers.

Previous Olympic mascotsEach edition of the Summer Olympic Games brings new surprises. Every Host Nation will use at least one mascot to demonstrate the Olympic Values and promote the Games.

Name: HodoriWhich Games? Seoul 1988More info: Hodori displays the friendly side of the tiger, which is a common feature in many Korean legends. Hodori wears the Olympic Rings around his neck and the streamer on his hat in the shape of an ‘S’ stands for Seoul.

Name: CobiWhich Games? Barcelona 1992More info: Cobi was supported by a group of mascots during the Barcelona 1992 Games and the whole mascot crew featured on Spanish TV.

Name: The FuwaWhich Games? Beijing 2008More info: The first syllables of each mascot form the phrase ‘Beijing Huanying Ni’ – or ‘Welcome to Beijing’ in English. Each mascot symbolises a blessing that they bring to the children of the world: prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck.

Activity idea

Compare the mascotsHow have the mascots of the Games changed over time? What do they do for the Games or the Host City? Do they add to the excitement of the Games? How? Talk with your classmates and share your ideas.

Hi, I’m Mandeville, the official mascot for the London 2012 Paralympic Games!

– My name comes from the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, Stoke Mandeville. On the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organised a sport competition there for injured World War II soldiers. That competition became the Paralympic Games.– I was created from one of the last two drops of British steel used for the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, giving me a shine that reflects everything around me.– My eye is a camera lens so I can record everything I see, but it’s particularly focused on the Paralympic Games in 2012!– From the prongs on my head representing the Paralympic emblem to my small, thin tail, I’m built for speed. I always want to be faster, and the timer on my wrist helps me push to beat my personal best. That’s because I want to be the best I can be… don’t you?– I’m spending from now until summer 2012 finding out all about Paralympic sport and about all the different types of people in the UK.– Everyone’s so different and I think those differences are great! I’ll be pushing myself to achieve every step of the way. Hope you can keep up!

Join me on my adventure at london2012.com/mascots

Mandeville is on a mission to always achieve a personal best and wants to help us reach that same goal. Mandeville is determined to help people understand what it means to be disabled, and the sort of courage it takes for people with disabilities to play sport and be the best they can be.

Activity idea

Be your bestWhat does personal best mean to you? What is your personal best? Why not write a pledge outlining how you are going to achieve it by 2012? How does that differ to your friends? You could create a wall collage of all of your pledges. Even if your goals are different, do you have things in common when trying to reach your personal best? Can you create a display with your friends to show each other’s different goals? You might like to ask your teachers or parents about their goals.

Welcome Mandeville

Image sheet: MandevilleMandeville has been busy learning as much as possible about London 2012 before the Paralympic Games finally begin. Here are some of the things that Mandeville has learnt so far:

Activity idea

Promoting the Paralympic ValuesMandeville wants everyone to feel valued and included. What are the Paralympic Values? How are the Values promoted on Mandeville’s journey? How can you promote the Paralympic Values in your school or community?

Name: PetraWhich Games? Barcelona 1992More info: Petra was part of a family of mascots during the Barcelona 1992 Games and the whole mascot crew featured on Spanish TV.

Name: LizzieWhich Games? Sydney 2000More info: Lizzie, the frill-necked lizard, was chosen to promote the

Paralympic messages of performance, power and pride. Lizzie’s frills are in the shape of Australia.

Name: Fu Niu LeleWhich Games? Beijing 2008More info: Fu Niu Lele is happy cow. In fact, ‘Lele’ means ‘happiness’. The 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing encompassed diligence, determination,

courage, endurance and strength, qualities often associated with hard-working cows.

Activity idea

Help Mandeville to promote sport!Do you know all of the sports that Mandeville is learning above? Which of these sports do you play in your school or community? Why not conduct a survey to find out which of the sports your class likes the most? If there are sports above that you have never heard of, why not run a class project on them?

Activity idea

School mascotWhy are mascots important? Do you have a mascot for your school? Does your favourite team have their own mascot? Can you create your own mascot that represents your school values?

Previous Paralympic mascotsEvery four years, different mascots bring the world together to celebrate the Summer Paralympic Games. These mascots change depending on the culture and heritage of their Host Nation.

Name: ProteasWhich Games? Athens 2004More info: Proteas is the seahorse. His name comes from a mythological Greek God. Proteas is also connected with the Greek word ‘protos’, which means ‘first in rank’ or ‘excellent’.