Wenlock and Mandeville: Difference between revisions
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===Mandeville=== |
===Mandeville=== |
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[[File:Wenlock, Westminster Abbey.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Wenlock at [[Westminster Abbey]]]] |
[[File:Wenlock, Westminster Abbey.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Wenlock at [[Westminster Abbey]]]] |
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Mandeville's name comes from the [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital]] in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England which organised the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, a competition for injured soldiers; they are regarded as the inspiration for the Paralympics. |
Mandeville's name comes from the [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital]] in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England which organised the [[Stoke Mandeville Games]] in 1948, a competition for injured soldiers; they are regarded as the inspiration for the [[Paralympics]]. |
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==Comic strip== |
==Comic strip== |
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Revision as of 17:56, 27 July 2012
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| Part of a series on |
| 2012 Summer Paralympics |
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Wenlock and Mandeville are the official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics being held in London, United Kingdom.[1]
The mascots were unveiled on 19 May 2010;[2] this marks the second time (after Vancouver's Miga, Quatchi, Sumi and Mukmuk) that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time. The mascots were created and designed by iris, a London-based creative agency.[1][3] Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton.[2] They are named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, a facility in Buckinghamshire that initially organised the Stoke Mandeville Games, the precursor of the Paralympic Games.[2]
Character appearances
London Assembly Baroness Dee Doocey raised the issue of the London Organising Committee charging for appearances of the characters; she was formerly the chair of the committee that oversees the London Olympics. Doocey suggested only the richest of schools would be able to afford the appearances. Appearances are £850 for the two mascots to appear at a community event or multi-school sports day, rising to £1,720 for events requiring an overnight stay, and £2,450 for a trip to Scotland or Ireland. The fee covers the performer, cohort, van hire, and accident liability insurance. LOCOG insist they only charge the appearance cost, nothing more. LOCOG does issue some free appearances to schools demonstrating a commitment to the games, but Doocey says that poorer schools are too busy with students to deal with the paperwork.[4]
Characteristics
According to the associated (fictional) storyline, 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.
Wenlock
Wenlock’s name is inspired by Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England, where the Wenlock Olympian Society held its first Olympian Games in 1850, regarded as an inspiration for the modern Olympic games. He has five friendship bracelets on his wrist. Each bracelet takes the colour of an Olympic ring. The three points on his head represent the three places on the podium. The pattern on his body with the logo of the games symbolises the whole world coming to London in 2012. The shape on the front of his head represents the shape of the Olympic stadium roof. In the run-up to the games Wenlock hopes to make as many friends as possible and always looks on the bright side of life. [citation needed]
Mandeville
Mandeville's name comes from the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England which organised the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, a competition for injured soldiers; they are regarded as the inspiration for the Paralympics.
Comic strip
They appeared in The Beano in issue 3601, and the strip, drawn by Nigel Parkinson and written by Ryan C. Gavan, will continue until the Olympics begins, in July 2012. [5]
Animated shorts
The British children’s 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] it is intended that this will form part of an ongoing series concerning the mascots in the run-up to the games.[2]
"Adventures on a Rainbow", a sequel to "Out of a Rainbow", was released on 1st March 2011. This episode to their story was publicised on the mascot's Twitter and Facebook pages as well as their website. 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][10]
The third installment, "Rainbow Rescue" follows their next adventure as the duo go on a rescue. The fourth and final installment of the shorts, "Rainbow to the Games" follows the duo on their final adventure as they get ready for the biggest competition of the summer.
Reception
In response to their launch the UKs leading design publication Creative Review had this to say "Both are clearly of the digital age. And we have to say, we think they look rather good...".[11] In other quarters their design has been greeted with some disdain. One columnist theorised that the pair were the product of a "drunken one-night stand between a Teletubby and a Dalek".[12] Others have compared the mascots to Izzy, the mascot of the 1996 Summer Olympics, another critically panned mascot.[13] However it has been reported that children of the target audience (5 to 15 years) find the duo enjoyable.[14] Still others have remarked that the pair resembles Kang and Kodos from the cartoon The Simpsons.[15]
References
- ^ a b Gibson, Owen (19 May 2010). "London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville, drips off the old block". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d "London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville". BBC News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "iris worldwide | London 2012 Mascots". Irisnation.com. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ Eccles, Louise; Martin Robinson (29 July 2011). "Outrage at £850 fee for Olympic mascots to visit your school". Daily Mail. London UK. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ "Beano Comic Issue 3601". The Beano. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ "The London 2012 mascots". London 2012. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "animates London 2012 Mascots". Crystal CG. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ "Organisation". Crystal CG. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ "London 2012 Mascots - 'Adventures on a Rainbow' - Wenlock and Mandeville!". YouTube. 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ http://www.london2012.com/news/2011/03/tom-daley-stars-in-new-london-2012-mascot-film.php
- ^ "Wenlock & Mandeville: London's Olympic mascots". Creative Review. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ "Behold the One-Eyed Compromise Monster", Globe and Mail, 21 May 2010
- ^ Rhone, Nedra (2010-05-21). "Atlanta's Olympic mascot meets its ugly match". ajc.com. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ "Interview: London 2012 Olympic mascots' creator discusses their design - News - Digital Arts". Digitalartsonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ Alpert, Emily (26 July 2012). "London Olympics: Making sport of mascots Wenlock, Mandeville". Los Angeles Times.
External links
