Birdo Created Rio 2016 Olympic Mascots
Olympic mascots can be hit-and-miss (but mostly miss) affairs, ranging from Athens’s dicks-in-sweaters to Nagano’s Snowlets that appear to have been designed by a five-year-old under duress.
Thankfully, the new mascots for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games look appealing and fun, perhaps because they were designed by an animation studio, specifically São Paulo-based Birdo. Inspired by Brazil’s fauna and flora, and drawing influence “from pop culture, along with elements of animation and computer game characters,” the characters’ names will be revealed on December 14 after a public voting period. The name options are Oba and Eba, Tiba Tuque and Esquindim, and Vinicius and Tom.
The animated piece above that introduces the Olympic duo was made from concept to completion in under two months by Birdo, with a team of nine people. Birdo was chosen after a national bidding process open to Brazilian ad agencies, design firms, illustrators, and animation companies. The four directors of the Anima Mundi festival—Aída Queiroz, Cesar Coelho, Lea Zagury and Marco Magalhães—helped make the final selection.
Founded by Luciana Eguti and Paulo Muppet in 2005, Birdo has often been featured on Cartoon Brew, including their collaborations with directors like Guilherme Marcondes and Fons Schiedon. They are currently producing the Cartoon Network Latin America series Oswaldo, and Cupcake & Dinosaur, co-produced with Canada’s EOne Entertainment.
The two characters concocted by Birdo are intended to “represent the diversity of our people, our way of life, and our natural environment,” said Beth Lula, a Rio 2016 executive. Here are the official descriptions of the as-yet-unnamed duo:
The Olympic mascot represents all of the different animals in Brazil. It combines the agility of cats, the sway of monkeys and the grace of birds. He can stretch his arms and legs as much as he wants. This allows him to jump higher, run faster, and become stronger. But he only uses his powers for good and he gets really upset if someone suggests that he uses his powers to win a sports competition. He has a very acute sense of smell, with a nose for adventure, and amazing powers of hearing, which allows him to find the liveliest fans. He practices all Olympic sports; he is the hyper-connected type with friends all around the world.
The Paralympic mascot, in turn, is a unique mixture of the Brazilian flora. He is able to constantly transform, with determination and joy – since plants are also in constant motion – growing and overcoming obstacles. In addition to practicing Paralympic sports, he is constantly on the move. He believes there is no obstacle too hard to overcome. He can pull anything from his big head of leaves to solve even the hairiest of problems. As the ambassador of the Paralympic Games, he will teach others to bring out their best.