Olympic mascots through the years

London, 2012: Olympic mascot Wenlock, left, and Mandeville, the Paralympic mascot, strike an Usain Bolt-esque pose. The pair are said to have been created from the last drops of steel left over from the construction of the final support girder for the Olympic Stadium
Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

Munich, 1972: Dachshund Fritz (centre) was the original live model for 'Waldi' the mascot, displayed here in both wood and felt
Photograph: Corbis

Montreal, 1976: The beaver which went by the name Amik, and was taken from the Algonquian language (the most popular language among Aboriginal people in Canada.) 'Amik' means beaver
Photograph: PR

Moscow, 1980: 'Mischa' the bear. (Note: he's not the one in the middle)
Photograph: AP

Los Angeles, 1984: Sam the Eagle during the opening ceremony. Designed by Walt Disney, this magnificent bird of prey wears the dress of the legendary American Uncle Sam
Photograph: Tony Duffy/Getty Images

Barcelona, 1992: 'Cobi' the dog was created by the Valencian artist Javier Mariscal
Photograph: Maury Christian/Corbis

Atlanta, 1996: Izzy was the first mascot designed by computer. It was an amorphous abstract fantasy figure, apparently. It carried the name Izzy, derived from 'What is it?' because no one seemed to know exactly what Izzy really was
Photograph: Ken Levine/Getty Images

Seoul, 1988: Hodori the tiger. The name 'Ho' is derived from the Korean word for 'tiger', and 'Dori' is a diminutive for boys in Korea
Photograph: David Cannon/Getty Images

Sydney, 2000: Three native Australian animals Syd (Sydney) the platypus, Millie (Millennium) the echidna and Olly (Olympic) the kookaburra, who this time isn't sitting in an old wood tree
Photograph: John Van Hasselt/Corbis

Athens, 2004: Phevos and Athena pose next to the edifice marking the starting point of the Olympic marathon. Greek mythology had it that Phevos and Athena are brother and sister, named after two Greek gods: Phevos, the god of light and music, and Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron of the city of Athens
Photograph: Pantelis Saitas/EPA

Beijing, 2008: 'Fuwa' mascots. From left to right: the fish, the panda, the Olympic flame, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow
Photograph: TopPhoto/ex Features