Hidy
Olympic Mascot
1984 (designed), 1986 - 1987 (made)
1984 (designed), 1986 - 1987 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Hidy and Howdy are twin polar bears designed by Sheila Scott in 1984. They were the official mascots of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games, chosen to represent Canadian hospitality. Their names and colourful outfits were meant to be typical of Western Canadian culture.
The first official Olympic mascot was a Dachshund called Waldi who appeared at Munich in 1972, but Hidy and Howdy marked the first attempt to have both male and female versions, designed to appeal to children. Travelling in their personal motor home, a rota of 140 high school students performed as the mascots for public appearances, and the pair appeared on a wide range of merchandise including lapel pins, embroidered banners and as the plush toys seen here.
The appearance and use of Hidy and Howdy was carefully managed by the Calgary Organising Committee and the Community Relations Department, who licensed the production of plush bears to Hasbro Canada Inc.
The first official Olympic mascot was a Dachshund called Waldi who appeared at Munich in 1972, but Hidy and Howdy marked the first attempt to have both male and female versions, designed to appeal to children. Travelling in their personal motor home, a rota of 140 high school students performed as the mascots for public appearances, and the pair appeared on a wide range of merchandise including lapel pins, embroidered banners and as the plush toys seen here.
The appearance and use of Hidy and Howdy was carefully managed by the Calgary Organising Committee and the Community Relations Department, who licensed the production of plush bears to Hasbro Canada Inc.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Hidy (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | plush, stuffed, printed
cotton, sewn, printed |
| Brief description | Plush polar bear toy 'Hidy', Offical mascot of 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic games. Designed by Sheila Scott, 1984. |
| Physical description | White plush toy with brown muzzle and nose, and pink mouth. Blue, black and white plastic eyes and embroidered eyelashes. Paws are printed with black pads. Clothes, sewn onto the bear, are a white stetson-stye hat with red band, red neckerchief, blue dress with yellow frill at hem and sleeves, with Calgary '88 emblem printed in grey. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Content description | Logo of Calgary 1988 winter Olympic Games and the Olympic Rings. |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Historical context | Sold as official merchandise. The pair of mascots, Hidy and Howdy, appeared on a range of products, as life-size mascots, and on the signage in Calgary. |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Hidy and Howdy are twin polar bears designed by Sheila Scott in 1984. They were the official mascots of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games, chosen to represent Canadian hospitality. Their names and colourful outfits were meant to be typical of Western Canadian culture. The first official Olympic mascot was a Dachshund called Waldi who appeared at Munich in 1972, but Hidy and Howdy marked the first attempt to have both male and female versions, designed to appeal to children. Travelling in their personal motor home, a rota of 140 high school students performed as the mascots for public appearances, and the pair appeared on a wide range of merchandise including lapel pins, embroidered banners and as the plush toys seen here. The appearance and use of Hidy and Howdy was carefully managed by the Calgary Organising Committee and the Community Relations Department, who licensed the production of plush bears to Hasbro Canada Inc. |
| Bibliographic reference | 1988 Calgary Olympics Official Report, IOC |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.134-2011 |
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| Record created | February 6, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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