Waldi
| Waldi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mascot of the1972 Summer Olympics(Munich) | |
| Creator | Otl Aicher |
| Significance | Adachshund |
Waldi(German pronunciation:[ˈval.diː]) was the first officialOlympic mascot,created for the1972 Summer OlympicsinMunich.He was adachshund,a popular breed of dog fromGermany.The course of themarathonwas designed to incorporate the Waldi design, and during the construction phase of the 1972 Olympic stadium and village, Waldi was used in unofficial satirical posters.
Origin[edit]
Waldi was created byGermandesignerOtl Aicher,who amongst others was also responsible for designing the logo for German airlineLufthansa.The Dachshund was the first official Olympic mascot, as the1968 Winter Olympicswas the first to use an unofficial mascot, which was red ball on skis named "Schuss".[1]Waldi was designed to represent the attributes described as required for athletes —resistance,tenacityandagility.[2]
Waldi was based on a real long-haired Dachshund named Cherie von Birkenhof, which Aicher used as a model. Although Waldi appeared in a variety of different color schemes, it is occasionally reported that the main scheme was designed to match the colors of theOlympic rings,ergo,blue,yellow,orangeandgreen.However, there were noblackorredin the main scheme, which was a conscious decision on the part of Aicher to exclude those colors related to theNational Socialist Party.[1]The 1972 games were designed to be an optimistic "Rainbow Games".[3]
Merchandise[edit]
Fifty licences were granted to manufacturers, at a minimum licensing fee of 245,000Deutschmarks,and over two million Waldi related items were sold around the world.[1]Waldi was available as aplush toy,aplastic toy,and appeared onbuttons,postersandstickers,and as apin.However, the pin bearing Waldi didn't come out until several years after the Olympics.[4]
1972 Olympic Marathon[edit]
The marathon route in the 1972 Olympics was created to resemble Waldi. The course was arranged so that the head of the dog faced west, with athletes running counter-clockwise, starting at the back of the dog's neck and continuing around the ears. The mouth of the dog was represented by the path through theNymphenburg Park,and its front feet were represented by the run through theHirschgarten.The belly was the main downtown street in Munich, and its rear feet, rear end and tail were all in theEnglish Garden,a parkland extending along theIsar River.The athletes continued along the back of the dog and entered the Olympic Stadium.[5]
Legacy[edit]
During construction, the bill for the 1972 Olympics increased from the original estimate of $3.5 million to $63 million on the roof of theOlympic Stadiumalone. The overall bill of $750 million, which was more than three times the amount Mexico spent on the 1968 games, resulted in unofficial posters of Waldi using theOlympic Toweras a Fire Hydrant.[6]
To coincide with thePhaidon Presspublication of the first monograph of Otl Aicher's work, an exhibition of his work on the 1972 Olympics was shown in London in 2007, including his work involving Waldi.[7]
References[edit]
- ^abcWhelliston, Kyle (8 July 2008)."Meet the Mascots: Waldi (Munich 1972)".Swifter Higher. Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2010.Retrieved7 January2010.
- ^Crossland, David (7 September 2008)."Dachshund's days look numbered".The National.Retrieved7 January2010.
- ^Sinclair, Mark (22 February 2007)."72+".Creative Review.Retrieved7 January2010.
- ^"Olympic Mascots:Waldi".Hickok Sports.com. Archived fromthe originalon 16 September 2009.Retrieved7 January2010.
- ^Martin, David; Gynn, Roger (2000).The Olympic Marathon.Human Kinetics. p.281.ISBN978-0-88011-969-6.
- ^"Sport: A Playground".Time.com. 4 September 1972. Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2010.Retrieved7 January2010.
- ^"72 Exhibition".Bibliotheque Design.Retrieved7 January2010.
