The mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have been unveiled – three cartoon characters called Quatchi, Miga and Sumi. Apparently, each of the characters is distinct and special – both in personality and in appearance. One is big, gentle and shy . . . one is small, mischievous and outgoing . . . and one is a natural-born leader with a passion for protecting the environment. The story goes that all three are mythical creatures with roots in local legend. One is a sasquatch. One is a sea-bear. And one is an animal guardian spirit. There is also a 4th character - a “mascot sidekick” called Mukmuk. ...According to John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), “We wanted mascots that could achieve a great deal…They had to appeal to children from all over the world, they needed to represent the people, geography, and spirit of British Columbia and Canada, and they had to personify the values and essence of the 2010 Winter Games . . . . In short, they needed to be many things all at once. We think they are.”
A total of 177 professional designers from around the world (including Canada, Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) expressed their interest in submitting a proposal for the mascots. Five were invited to Vancouver to meet the VANOC team to present their creative abilities and credentials. Eventually, one designer’s concepts were selected – Meomi Design’s Vicki Wong.
To reveal the mascots to the public and the world, a special theatrical event was held for 800 schoolchildren in the nearby city of Surrey, British Columbia, and a global audience of thousands have met the mascots ‘virtually’ through the Vancouver 2010 website:
http://www.vancouver2010.com/en
There is also a mascot microsite featuring an animated video of the mascot story, mascot character profiles, a personality quiz, an online game, e-cards and more.:
http://www.vancouver2010.com/mascots 
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