The first Olympic mascot 'Waldi' a Daschund dog appeared at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Mascots are used to communicate the Olympic spirit to the general public, especially youth and children. They are usually a character or animal native to the country where the games are being held and showcase the history and culture unique to the host city. In more recent years it has been common to have more than one mascot. This could be to ensure gender equity but has undoubtedly increased the merchandising potential of the Olympic mascot.

Izzy was chosen as the mascot for the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 after a competition organised by the Atlanta Committee for the OLYMPIC Games (ACOG). The winning design was by John Ryan a senior animation director of Atlanta-based design firm DESIGNefx. It was the first mascot to be designed using computers.

Izzy was originally called Whatizit and first appeared as a blue, tear-shaped "blob" with rings around his eyes and tail. He wore high-top sneakers and had star-shaped pupils. His arms and legs were also short with a toothy grin showing both rows of teeth. He was later modified losing the bottom row of teeth and gaining a nose. It was from this point he was referred to as Izzy. In a final change Izzy was given longer limbs to make him seem more athletic. Yet despite continued efforts to evolve his look, Izzy proved to be a very unpopular mascot.