Named after the spiritual home of the Olympics and Paralympics – Much Wenlock and Stoke Mandeville – these two odd characters are Wenlock and Mandeville, the official mascots of the 2012 London Olympics.
The pair – each with a single giant eye – were chosen from a shortlist of hundreds by experts and schoolchildren. Apparently, the yellow lights on their heads are inspired by London’s black taxis, don’t you know.
Games chief Seb Coe said: “We’ve created our mascots for children. They didn’t want animals or humans, they wanted these.” And the Mayor added: “It’s hard to imagine mascots more in tune with the times.”
And, according to the Independent, when the characters were revealed, Bozza also exclaimed, “”Hah! The Cameron and Clegg of the Olympics!” In the sense that they look identical, are faintly wierd and have a date with destiny in a few years, we suspect Bozza is absolutely right….