London 2012: From Steel to Rainbows

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic have embraced the world of social media. Wenlock and Mandeville have their own Twitter accounts (@iamwedlock and @iammandeville).There is also a new feature on http://www.mylondon2012.com/mascots/ which allows users to create a custom Mascot then share it with their friends on Twitter and Facebook.


The whole theme of this London Olympics seems very “kiddish” to me. Everything from their jigsaw puzzle like logo to the one eyed, alien looking Wenlock and Mandeville seem like it belongs more at Pixar than at the Olympics. This new feature to customize Wenlock and Mandeville, a fun as it is, only makes me want to jump off the rainbow before Teletubbies and Care Bears start attacking me.

After the logo received reactions that were as cold and dreary as the London weather, Alex Balfour, head of new media for London 2012 stated that “this is a brand to live up to which will force us to deliver [the] Games in a way which no other host city has ever done — not a comfortable blazer badge with 'endearing' qualities or cute London skylines, but a big statement of intent." Wedlock and Mandeville's metallic finish which is a result of them originating from drops of steel used to build the Olympics stadium add to their strong statement but are their adventures and these new customized Wedlocks and Mandevilles London’s way for adding some fluff to the “modern,” “dynamic” and “bold” that was shot down by the public? Because they now seem pretty cute to me.

The Wedlock with the red poof and Mandeville with the pink mohawk are mine =)