21 May 2010

Lorna is loving Wenlock and Mandeville...are you?

It might be the sunshine or the general end-of-the week glow, but new Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville have attracted some fans within the office – especially Lorna, who as Kindred’s only Stratford resident has a keen interest in all things Olympic. “There’s something quite sweet about the video that introduces them – the voice over and music get you a little bit emotional. And they are cheery little things on Facebook,” she says. In contrast, Paul describes them as looking “like fugly Wii remotes” and (by no means the worst) media descriptions include “odd-looking”, “like two little steel aliens” and “hideous creatures”.
 
According to Seb Coe “We’ve created our mascots for children. They will connect young people with sport and tell the story of our proud Olympic and Paralympic history. By linking young people to the values of sport, Wenlock and Mandeville will help inspire kids to strive to be the best they can be.” London 2012 also emphasise the selection process for the mascots, which included UK wide focus groups of young people, families and industry experts. So maybe some of the grown-up commentators are missing the point and we should all wish them the best of luck. It’s also good to see they’ve invested in a significant online presence for the mascots – and that you can already buy T-shirts and pin badges.
 
Bring on the cuddly Wenlock and Mandeville toys! 

What's YOUR take?  Do you love/hate the two...things?

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Posted
May 21, 2010
emmadilemma1908 said...
I like that there is a cute social media campaign to support mascots @iamwenlock + @iammandeville – content on Twitter, FB + YouTube check http://bit.ly/a8eKPZ
May 21, 2010
kirsten everett said...
What a difficult brief.
With that in mind I think they've done well. They stand out and they're original, that's quite an achievement. I'm glad they are not an obvious symbol of the UK, like a double decker or black cab.
Cuddly fish and chips anyone?
May 21, 2010
Kelly Pullen said...
You have to watch the video - it is very emotive and made me change my mind about them. Give them a chance they are only young