Proteas the seahorse represents the values of the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games – Strength, Pursuit, Inspiration and Celebration. Its body is coloured in red, green and blue, representing the three Tae ...

The mascot for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta was Izzy -- an unusual mascot because he wasn't an animal, human or object. In Utah, the snowshoe hare, coyote and black bear were an homage to ...

Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings. Cool fact: Australia wanted to highlight other lesser-known animals, which is why they left the kangaroos and koalas out. The names of the Athens' mascots are a ...

But the best part is when the mascot appears as a life-size character! They like to show up and dance to get the fans all hyped up. The Olympic Games didn't have any official mascots at the beginning.

Editor’s note: Follow Olympics opening ceremony live updates. Mascots are synonymous with sports, and the Olympics, worldwide ...