Not currently on display at the V&A

Håkon

Olympic Mascot
1994 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Håkon and Kristin are the mascots for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games.

Unlike the range of cute animals used as mascots since Waldi in 1972, these two were different as they were human. Inspired by medieval Norwegian legends, they are named after a prince and princess from the 13th century, but were described as “children of today”. The characters in their colourful period costumes were intended to represent a combination of tradition and innovation, and promote the idea of modern Norway as authentic and environmentally conscious.

The original design for Håkon was produced by Javier Ramirez Camputchano, developed in collaboration with Kari and Werner Grossman.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Olympic Mascot
  • Label
TitleHåkon (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
cotton, synthetics, stuffed, embroidered, printed paper, printed, folded
Brief description
Håkon, stuffed doll of young boy, official mascot of 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games. Designed by Kari Grossman, Werner Grossman and Javier Ramirez Camputchano.
Physical description
Soft stuffed body of pinkish colour and synthetic material, printed with facial features including large blue eyes. Yellow wool hair and brown felt helmet. Dressed in layers, with pink cape over green tunic with purple felt lining. Front printed with Lillehammer emblem. Pink threads wrapped around legs, and light yellow ribbon looped from back of neck.
Dimensions
  • Height: 19cm
  • Width: 11cm
  • Head depth: 5.5cm
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • Lillehammer '94
  • Kristin and Håkon/ Kristin and Håkon are the mascots for the XVII Olympic Winter Games 1994. Håkon is named after a prince and Kristin after a princess, both from the 13th century. Nevertheless, they are children of today: openminded, happy, free and alert. As with most Norweigian children, sports and playing are part of their everyday life, as is environmental consciousness.
  • An Official Olympic Product/ By bying [sic] this product you are helping to promote and finance the XVII Olympic Winter Games, which will be staged at Lillehammer, Norway in 1994./ The Lillehammer Games will be a sporting and cultural festival founded upon authentic values, modern design and Norwegian traditions./ Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee - LOOC
Summary
Håkon and Kristin are the mascots for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games.

Unlike the range of cute animals used as mascots since Waldi in 1972, these two were different as they were human. Inspired by medieval Norwegian legends, they are named after a prince and princess from the 13th century, but were described as “children of today”. The characters in their colourful period costumes were intended to represent a combination of tradition and innovation, and promote the idea of modern Norway as authentic and environmentally conscious.

The original design for Håkon was produced by Javier Ramirez Camputchano, developed in collaboration with Kari and Werner Grossman.
Collection
Accession number
B.146:1, 2-2011

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Record createdFebruary 28, 2012
Record URL
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