Olympic Mascot
2004 - 2006 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Neve and Gliz were the official mascots of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, held in Turin. Olympic mascots are often chosen through competitions, and in this case the winner was Portuguese designer Pedro Albuquerque. He invented two characters, one male, one female, with heads formed of an ice-cube and a snow-ball.
This rather literal interpretation of the winter theme followed from similar pairs of mascots at the Lillehammer games in 1994 (Haakon and Kristen, Norwegian children), and the Calgary games in 1988 (Hidy and Howdy, twin polar bears).
Neve and Gliz were a visible presence at the games in various forms. There were lifesize characters at major events, they appeared on wayfinding signs and featured on merchandise, such as toys, clothes and key rings like this one.
The earliest Olympic merchandising stratgies focused on stamps, coins, and badges that would be collected and swapped among enthusiasts. Small collectable items like badges, key rings and patches continue to appeal to children into the twenty-first century.
This rather literal interpretation of the winter theme followed from similar pairs of mascots at the Lillehammer games in 1994 (Haakon and Kristen, Norwegian children), and the Calgary games in 1988 (Hidy and Howdy, twin polar bears).
Neve and Gliz were a visible presence at the games in various forms. There were lifesize characters at major events, they appeared on wayfinding signs and featured on merchandise, such as toys, clothes and key rings like this one.
The earliest Olympic merchandising stratgies focused on stamps, coins, and badges that would be collected and swapped among enthusiasts. Small collectable items like badges, key rings and patches continue to appeal to children into the twenty-first century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | plastic and metal, paper. |
| Brief description | Keyring featuring Neve and Gliz, official mascots of the 2006 winter Olympic Games in Turin, with official merchandising tag. Metal and paper, 2004 - 2006. |
| Physical description | The main, pictorial part is comprised of a silver coloured metal ring, around a plastic-coated metal disc. This disc is attached to the outer ring at two points, allowing the two-sided design to spin around. There is a short chain of four links, to a key ring, with plastic merchandising tag attached. The main section features two cartoon characters, with their names printed underneath. Neve, on the left, has a round white head, widely spaced eyes with eyelashes and an open-mouthed smile, above a red body with long curvilinear arms and legs. Gliz has a square bluish-white head with black eyes and an open smile; his body is blue and quite square. The reverse of the disc features the official logo of the Torino 2006 Games. The label is mostly blue and white, with an official hologram sticker and the Games logos. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | Olympic Winter Games
Torino
2006 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Neve and Gliz were the official mascots of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, held in Turin. Olympic mascots are often chosen through competitions, and in this case the winner was Portuguese designer Pedro Albuquerque. He invented two characters, one male, one female, with heads formed of an ice-cube and a snow-ball. This rather literal interpretation of the winter theme followed from similar pairs of mascots at the Lillehammer games in 1994 (Haakon and Kristen, Norwegian children), and the Calgary games in 1988 (Hidy and Howdy, twin polar bears). Neve and Gliz were a visible presence at the games in various forms. There were lifesize characters at major events, they appeared on wayfinding signs and featured on merchandise, such as toys, clothes and key rings like this one. The earliest Olympic merchandising stratgies focused on stamps, coins, and badges that would be collected and swapped among enthusiasts. Small collectable items like badges, key rings and patches continue to appeal to children into the twenty-first century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.317-2012 |
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| Record created | June 21, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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