Coal
Olympic Mascot
ca. 2002 (made)
ca. 2002 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Coal was one of three official mascots for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Characteristics of the three animals were based on the Olympic slogan ‘Faster, Higher, Stonger’. In Native American legend the black bear represents the quality of strength, for their ability to outlast its hunters. The three characters appeared on a wide range of merchandise, with the plush version here licensed to Mattel, and manufactured in China.
The design process was started in September 1997, and a selection of animals went through focus groups with these three being the most popular. The final characters were designed by a design partnership of Landor Associates and Publicis. The illustrations on the label were drawn by London-based illustrator Steve Small.
These Salt Lake City mascots follow in the tradition of the first official mascot, Waldi the Bavarian dachshund from Munich 1972, in being animals representative of the host region.
The design process was started in September 1997, and a selection of animals went through focus groups with these three being the most popular. The final characters were designed by a design partnership of Landor Associates and Publicis. The illustrations on the label were drawn by London-based illustrator Steve Small.
These Salt Lake City mascots follow in the tradition of the first official mascot, Waldi the Bavarian dachshund from Munich 1972, in being animals representative of the host region.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Coal (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Polyester plush, stuffed |
| Brief description | Coal, brown plush bear with purple nose and original merchandise tag. Official mascot of 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. |
| Physical description | Brown bear with long outstretched arms. Legs are stuffed seperately allowing bear to sit easily. Brown plastic eyes and purple pastic name tag on cord attached to neck. Purple nose, yellow muzzle and red tongue. Embroidered Salt Lake City emblem and Olympic rings on bottom of left foot. Original card merchandising label with plastic tag. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | Embroidery on foot: 'OFFICIAL MASCOTS SALT LAKE 2002'
Label: 'AGES 3 & UP / COAL'
|
| Object history | Produced, along with two other characters Powder and Copper, as the official mascot of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Described as a 'signature property', the appearance of mascots was managed by the Marketing Services Department. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Coal was one of three official mascots for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Characteristics of the three animals were based on the Olympic slogan ‘Faster, Higher, Stonger’. In Native American legend the black bear represents the quality of strength, for their ability to outlast its hunters. The three characters appeared on a wide range of merchandise, with the plush version here licensed to Mattel, and manufactured in China. The design process was started in September 1997, and a selection of animals went through focus groups with these three being the most popular. The final characters were designed by a design partnership of Landor Associates and Publicis. The illustrations on the label were drawn by London-based illustrator Steve Small. These Salt Lake City mascots follow in the tradition of the first official mascot, Waldi the Bavarian dachshund from Munich 1972, in being animals representative of the host region. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.138-2011 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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