Much ado about Wenlock & Mandeville: Canada pokes fun at 2012 mascots

[petros]

Much ado about Wenlock & Mandeville: Canada pokes fun at 2012 mascots

It doesn't do to upset the Canadians – and with an axe to grind they are going after London's Olympic double act


The Canadian press have warned children to stay away from images of London 2012 mascots Wenlock, left, and Mandeville. Photograph: Action Images



Much ado about Wenlock and Co

"Wow all this attention is amazing," tweeted the new Olympic icon Wenlock, as he and co-mascot Mandeville were unveiled to the world on Wednesday. They'll need to stay optimistic as it appears that, in one country at least, their cards have already inadvertently been marked by the British press. It doesn't do to upset the Canadians and, with an axe to grind, they're going after London's double act.

Still bristling after negative reports of this year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver the Canadian press have united behind what they see as a chance to return the favour. Calgary's Herald opened the offensive, commenting: "London's creepy one-eyed Olympic mascots scare us. Especially the one with the blue stain on its crotch" (Mandeville), before joyously reporting that: "One kid on Twitter called the London mascots 'terror sperm'."

The National Post weighed in under the headline: "Who's laughing now, London?" referring to them as "walking alien penis creatures". This was a popular image, the Toronto Sun describing "terrifying penis monsters" and the Montreal Gazette warning: "If you've yet to see photos of the mascot couple ... Keep the young children away."



""London's creepy one-eyed Olympic mascots scare us. Especially the one with the blue stain on its crotch"

That kills me!!!!

 

[darkbeaver]

What's the world coming to?

 

[Cliffy]

They are beyond disbelief. perhaps we should steer Dennis in their direction. Might give him a new focus in life.

 

[Liberalman]

The blue stain?

 

[Andem]

Oh god, those are real mascots.. It took me a second to figure out this wasn't an Onion article. Those mascot things really are creepy. Which genius over at the London organising committee came up with this bright idea? They're supposed to be magical creatures the size of a _____: Wenlock and Mandeville - Mascots - London 2012 Olympics / Paralympics

 

[lone wolf]

The London 2012 logo still looks like Lisa Simpson giving head....

 

[darkbeaver]

Oh god, those are real mascots.. It took me a second to figure out this wasn't an Onion article. Those mascot things really are creepy. Which genius over at the London organising committee came up with this bright idea? They're supposed to be magical creatures the size of a _____: Wenlock and Mandeville - Mascots - London 2012 Olympics / Paralympics

I stopped watching when the blanks were animated by aurora one cc helix on the right and one cw helix on the left.

 

[Icarus27k]

Everything about the Olympics is great, except for the stupid mascots.

Are they really necessary to hold an Olympics?

 

[darkbeaver]

What do you mean by great?

 

[Mowich]

Good grief, I thought the Canadian Olympic mascots were wierd enough but these two are simply sinister.

 

[Blackleaf]

Wenlock and Mandeville are named after the British towns which gave the world the modern Olympics and paralympics.

The British town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire, after which the mascot called Wenlock takes his name, was the inspiration for the modern Olympic Games. The French like to believe they created the modern Olympic Games, although Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC, was only inspired to create the organisation after a visit to Much Wenlock in 1890.

The Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games, or the Olympian Games, were created on 25 February 1850 when the Wenlock Agricultural Reading Society resolved to establish a class called The Olympian Class "for the promotion of the moral, physical and intellectual improvement of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Wenlock and especially of the working classes, by the encouragement of out-door recreation, and by the award of prizes annually at public meetings for skill in Athletic exercise and proficiency in Intellectual and industrial attainments". The first meeting was held at Wenlock racecourse on 22-23 October 1850. The secretary of the Class and driving force behind the Olympian Games was Dr. William Penny Brookes.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin visited the Olympian Society in 1890, who held a special festival in his honour. He was inspired by Dr Brookes and went on to establish the International Olympic Committee.

So whenever a Frenchman tells you that his nation invented the modern Olympic Games, just point out to him that Coubertin only invented the IOC, not the actual Games. The first modern Olympics were the Games of Much Wenlock - which are still held annually.

The Much Wenlock Olympian Games

Britain also invented the Paralympics. The Paralympics mascot, Mandeville, is named after the Buckinghamshire town of Stoke Mandeville. It was there in 1948 that Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a neurologist, organized a sporting competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries at the town's rehabilitation hospital. In 1952, the Netherlands joined in the games, creating the first international competition for the disabled.

Stoke Mandeville co-hosted the 1984 Paralympics, with New York City.

 

[bill barilko]

The Briddish are the original 98# weaklings and both their mascots and their perfomances reflect that sad fact.

 

[petros]

Don't let Enassir see this. He'll think it's the Djall.

 

[VanIsle]

Good grief, I thought the Canadian Olympic mascots were wierd enough but these two are simply sinister.

Our mascots were weird. Nothing to be proud of.

 

[petros]

Don't let Enassir see this. He'll think it's the Dajjal.

5. Dajjāl; This an adjective meaning “a great deceiver”. It has also been referred to as al-masīh al-dajjāl. The implication is that before the Day of Judgement a person will falsely claim to be Jesus (sws) and while making use of the notion of the return of Jesus (sws) found in Muslims, Jews and Christians will deceive people through some of his magical powers. It is mentioned in some narratives that he would be blind in one eye and his deception would be so evident to the believers that it would be as if they would see disbelief written on his forehead.

 

[Bar Sinister]

It is our turn. British media urinated all over the Vancouver games. Now we get to urinate back. Take that Brits!

 

[Liberalman]

Well Englands mascots look more original than Canada's pokemon clones

 

[Mowich]

Our mascots were weird. Nothing to be proud of.

I wasn't proud of them, VanIsle. On the contrary, I thought they were wierd, stupid, and that VANOC could have done so much better when picking mascots.

 

[petros]