Cobi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cobi, a Catalan Sheepdog in Cubist style inspired by the interpretations of Picasso of a masterpiece from Velazquez, Las Meninas. The pet was the official mascot of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Cobi was designed by Javier Mariscal (1950-). The mascot was unveiled to the public in 1987. His name was derived from the Barcelona Olympic Organising Committee (COOB).
Before and during the Games, Cobi was shown in a variety of advertisements for Olympic sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Brother Industries and Danone. He even had his own TV series, The Cobi Troupe. He also appeared on an extensive range of souvenirs, dubbed Cobiana, which proved to be a lucrative source of income. During the Games an inflatable Cobi was tethered to the Barcelona waterfront. According the International Olympic Committee Cobi together with Misha was one of the most popular and commercial success for the Olympic Games.
[edit] References
- "Cobi the pooch: not your average Olympic mascot", Anchorage Daily News, quoted in Robert E Rinehart (1998), Players All: Performances in Contemporary Sport, Indiana University, p137, ISBN 0-253-21223-5
- Donald McNeill (1999), Urban Change and the European Left, Routledge (UK), p47-8, ISBN 0-415-17062-1
