World Cup fever is taking hold. The sticker album is being
filled up. Newspapers are being scoured for squad news. Previews are being read
mercilessly and videos of previous World Cups being watched religiously.
32 teams will compete in Brazil for the right to call
themselves World Champions and be added to the list of World Cup legends. Names
like Pele, Cruyff, Maradona and Ronaldo have become synonymous with the World Cup
competition.
There is another list however that receives less fanfare
though they have been a mainstay of the World Cup for nearly fifty years. They
are the mascots. Sometimes loved, sometimes loathed or ridiculed. Invented
by the English. Here follows a list of all the World Cup mascots from 1966 to
the present day.
1966 England – World Cup
Willie
The original and the yardstick by which all future mascots
would be judged. When Willie was first created in 1965, a behemoth was
unleashed on the world.
A whole new world of merchandising was opened up to the
World Cup. Mugs, key-rings, tea towels, t-shirts. You name it, Willie’s face
was put on it.
Willie was used to advertise a wide array of products, he
was put in comics. He even had his own single, performed by Lonnie Donegan (a
Scotsman of all things), reminding us ‘We all know his name.’ Oh, we most
certainly do.
Did he inspire his
team to glory? All the way to World Cup victory. We all know what happened
in the final. Fitting that the first World Cup mascot should be the first World
Cup winning mascot in the home of football.
1970 Mexico – Juanito
After the massive success of World Cup Willie it was always
going to be a hard act for Mexico to come up with something to match his
brilliance. So, what did they come up with? A slightly podgy kid in a sombrero.
Underwhelming doesn’t cover it. At least Mexico wouldn’t have to wait too long
to get another crack at it.
Did he inspire his
team to glory? Not quite. Mexico made it to the quarter finals before being
thumped 4-1 by Italy.
1974 West Germany –
Tip and Tap
The Germans were doing tippy-tappy football before that was
even a thing. Tip and Tap are the first dual mascots. They look rather like an
adolescent Laurel and Hardy but unfortunately couldn’t afford a proper size
shirt between them. Tip and Tap followed on from Juanito in having an exposed
mid-riff. Must be a 70’s thing.
Did they inspire
their team to glory? Against all odds, Tip and Tap became the second World
Cup winning mascots when West Germany upset the ‘Total Football’ of Holland to
win their second World Cup.
1978 Argentina –
Gauchito
A boy in a cowboy hat carrying what looks like a riding whip
kicking a football. The classic image of Argentina.
There’s not much to say about Gauchito other than to note he
was the last human World Cup mascot.
Did he inspire his
team to glory? Amid all the usual accusations of skulduggery that plague
the Argentinean national team, Argentina did win the 1978 World Cup defeating
the unfortunate Dutch 3-1 after extra time.
1982 Spain –
Naranjito
It’s an orange. They grow oranges in Spain. So, it’s a
Spanish orange with a face. It’s not a reject Letterland character like you
thought and is the only fruit to have represented his country in a World Cup.
Did he inspire his
team to glory? Not quite. The unusual nature of Spain 82 meant Spain played
five games but only won 1 match and were even beaten by Northern Ireland.
Arguably, Naranjito is the least successful of all the World Cup mascots.
1986 Mexico – Pique
After a rather lacklustre attempt in 1970 with Juanito,
Mexico were given a second attempt in 1986.
This time they came up with a good one when they revealed
Pique, a green Mexican bandit chilli complete with comical moustache. I like
him.
Did he inspire his
team to glory? Probably Mexico’s best performance in a World Cup when they
got to the quarter finals but were eliminated on penalties by (who else?) West
Germany. A few more chillies in their diet and who knows what could have
happened.
1990 Italy – Ciao
Think of weird mascots and this is the one that comes most
immediately to mind. Ciao is not a mascot. Ciao is the early sketches of a
mascot but then the designer thought to himself ‘I can’t be arsed with this, I’ve
got a risotto to cook. This will do.’
Maybe it’s apt that what is regarded as the most lacklustre
World Cup tournament should have the most half-cocked mascot.
Did ‘it’ inspire its
team to glory? While opposition teams were struggling to understand what
Ciao was meant to be, Italy roared to the semi-finals but unfortunately
Argentina recovered their senses in time to eliminate them on penalties. Italy
would go on to claim third-place however after beating England.
1994 USA – Stryker
For the first World Cup to be held in a country that had
always regarded ‘soccer’ with an air of suspicion, USA 94 sold itself on the
image of a character who looked like he was straight out of a Hanna-Barbera
cartoon.
The first animal mascot since Willie, it is perhaps not
surprising it took until the World Cup hit America for someone to truly re-realise
the marketing potential of a mascot. The on field action might have sold the
game to the public at large but Stryker sold it to the kids.
Did he inspire his
team to glory? Expectations weren’t high for the USA but qualifying from a
tough group and a narrow defeat by Brazil in the second round weren’t a bad
return for the old dog.
1998 France – Footix
Footix is a French Cock.
Childish giggles out of the way, Footix is probably the best
mascot since World Cup Willie from what some would consider to be the best ever
World Cup tournament.
Stryker laid the ground work four years earlier, Footix
perfected it. Footix put his face on everything and was a massive success for
the French marketing team.
Did he inspire his
team to glory? Footix became the fourth World Cup winning mascot when
France beat Brazil 3-0 in the final. Rumours that Footix nobbled Ronaldo before
the final are vigorously denied.
2002 Japan &
South Korea – The Spheriks (Ato, Kaz and Nik)
One World Cup. Two hosts. Three mascots.
For the first World Cup in Asia, the mascots chosen were to
invoke images of the manga/anime style that the region has become known.
Unfortunately, they look more like Pokemon rejects. The
tournament was a great success. The mascots, not so much.
Did they inspire
their teams to glory? The Spheriks, as they are collectively known, were
only able to take Japan to the second round but had more success with South
Korea who made it to the semi-finals and a creditable fourth place. Ato, I
choose you!
Germany 2006 – Goleo VI
Germany were given another crack at a World Cup mascot, so
what did they do? They tried to steal Willie and make him German. After all,
that is the German way.
The interesting thing about Goleo is the ‘VI’ in his name,
which begs the question: what happened to the other five?
Did he inspire his
team to glory? An imitator will never be as good as the original and so it
proved as Germany fell at the semi-final stage. Third place isn’t bad but it’s
no World Cup Willie success.
South Africa 2010 –
Zakumi
Zakumi has a special status, as indeed does the 2010 World
Cup. For this wasn’t just the South African World Cup, this was the World Cup
for all of Africa.
So it was that the green haired Leopard had the hopes of a
whole continent heaped upon him.
Did he inspire his
team(s) to glory? Depends how you look at it. If you take him as solely
representing South Africa, he would be an abject failure as they became the
first hosts to exit in the first round. But if you take him as representing all
of Africa, you’d point to Ghana who were robbed of a place in the semi-finals
by that great model of sportsmanship, Luis Suarez.
Brazil 2014 – Fuleco
I know little about armadillos. There, I said it. Mock me with
your superior armadillo knowledge if you must but that’s the truth of it.
I remember an old Harry Enfield Dime bar advert and I have found out recently they are an endangered
species but that’s about it.
Fuleco reminds me a little of Sonic the Hedgehog with his ‘tude.
And that’s cool.
A special mention should be given to Bulldog Bobby. He wasn’t
a mascot for a whole World Cup but he was the mascot for England’s 1982 World
Cup side who went out in the second group phase.
Always finish on a song, so here’s World Cup Willy:
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