一个叫文洛克(Wenlock)，一个叫曼德维尔(Mandeville)。两个都长着一只大眼睛的卡通形象19日揭开面纱，分别作为2012年伦敦奥运会和残奥会的吉祥物正式加入奥运大家庭。
The 2012 Olympic mascot Wenlock(R) and Paralympic mascot Mandeville pose for photographers in the playground at St. Paul's primary school in London May 19, 2010. The mascot posed for the cameras on the day of the official launch.
As the covers were removed by two pupils in front of wide-eyed classmates and LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe at an east London school a mere javelin throw away from what will be the heart of the Games in two years, Wenlock and Mandeville, as they will be known, were introduced to the world.
It was the culmination of an 18-month project to come up with an enduring image for the Games and a merchandising gimmick that will keep the cash tills ringing as 2012 target 16 millions pounds in revenue from Games memorabilia.
While modern and slightly obscure, LOCOG say the mascots recognise Britain's Olympic heritage.
Wenlock is named after the village of Much Wenlock where Pierre de Coubertin visited in 1890 and where his idea for a modern Olympics was born while Mandeville is called after the Stoke Mandeville Hospital where the Paralympic movement began shortly after World War II.
Asked to describe exactly what his creations are, designer Grant Hunter of London-based firm Iris, said they were "magical beings" that would become "multi-dimensional" mascots aimed at capturing the imagination of children across the world.
A group of invited journalists were given a sneak preview of an animated film based on a story by award-winning children's author Michael Morpurgo who was commissioned by London 2012.
It shows the two steel nuggets being sculpted by the grandfather and then how they spring to life in the hands of two children before morphing into various sporting poses.
The film was screened by the BBC's One Show later on Wednesday -- the official launch of the mascots 2012 chiefs hope will rank favourably alongside the likes of Moscow's Misha, Barcelona's Cubist-inspired Cobi and Atlanta's unpopular Izzy.
Rather hard to describe, Wenlock and Mandeville both have one large eye, representing a camera lens so they can record what they see, cannot speak, don't smile and have features borrowed from London's iconic taxis.
"The mascot will help us engage with children which is what I believe passionately in," London organising committee chairman Sebastian Coe told Reuters as human-sized versions of the eye-catching mascots danced in the school playground.
"The message we were getting was that children didn't want fluffy toys, they didn't want them to be human but thy did want them rooted in an interesting story. "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."
After the furore of its controversial logo in 2007, a project that cost 400,000 pounds and was initially met with scorn before proving popular, London 2010 organisers are confident that its choice of mascots will hit the spot.
What is more the budget was just "a few thousand" according to a LOCOG official.
"These guys will tell a story about the Olympics Games and really fit with our whole philosophy of the Games," LOCOG chief executive Paul Deighton said, adding that some of the rejected designs included pigeons and Big Ben with legs sticking out.
To appeal to a generation of children brought up with electronic gizmos, Wenlock and Mandeville, look as though they are related to computer game character Sonic the Hedgehog and will even have their own place on Facebook and Twitter.
一个叫文洛克(Wenlock)，一个叫曼德维尔(Mandeville)。两个都长着一只大眼睛的卡通形象19日揭开面纱，分别作为2012年伦敦奥运会和残奥会的吉祥物正式加入奥运大家庭。
没有灯光四射的舞台，也没有激动雀跃的观众。两个吉祥物只是在BBC（英国广播公司）一台的一档节目中，由两位主持人在普通如常的演播室内公之于众。此后，一段动画短片介绍了文洛克和曼德维尔的身世。
炼钢厂，工人们正在为锻造奥林匹克体育馆的*后一根钢柱忙碌。当钢柱出炉，两滴钢水溅落在地凝固成块。一位老工人将两个钢块默默捡起、塞进书包带回家中。当老工人推开家门，等待他的除了老伴、孙子、孙女，还有一个庆祝他退休的大蛋糕。
退休的老工人夜不能寐，干脆起身雕琢起那两个钢块。于是，都长着一只大眼睛的两个小雕塑就成了孙子、孙女的礼物。两个小朋友兴奋地把雕塑放在窗台上，此时，彩虹之光打进窗内，两个雕塑被赋予了生命。
伦敦奥组委主席塞巴斯蒂安科表示，吉祥物就是为*们而设计的。“他们将把年轻人和体育运动联系到一起，告诉他们让我们引以为豪的奥运会和残奥会历史。”
两个吉祥物的名字浓缩了英国与奥运会及残奥会历史的渊源。“文洛克”来自马奇文洛克的施罗普希尔村，在那里举行的文洛克运动会正是激发顾拜旦打造现代奥林匹克运动会的灵感之一。“曼德维尔”则受到白金汉郡的斯托克曼德维尔的启发。二十世纪40年代，古特曼医生来到斯托克曼德维尔医院，建立了一个脊髓科，以帮助那些遭受脊髓疾病困扰的退役军人。为了找到激励这些病人积极恢复的方法，古特曼医生开始鼓励他们从事体育运动，由此慢慢形成了被广泛认为是现代残疾人奥林匹克运动先行者的斯托克曼德维尔运动会。
除了名字，两个吉祥物的样子也有说法。他们头上的黄灯来自伦敦标志性的黑色出租车。文洛克戴着奥运五环颜色的友谊手环；曼德维尔的手腕上戴着秒表。而他们的大眼睛，原来是个照相机，用来“捕捉”他们见过的人、去过的地方。
短片*后，两位小朋友推开窗户，文洛克和曼德维尔沿着轨迹不同的两条彩虹，开始向着2012年伦敦奥运会和残奥会行进。
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