OUT OF A RAINBOWN: WENLOCK & MANDEVILLE

The Olympic mascot are fictional characters, usually an animal native to the area or human figures, who represent the cultural heritage of the place where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are taking place.

London 2012 organizers have unveiled cartoon animations named Wenlock and Mandeville as the mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"We've created our mascots for children," said Locog chair Lord Coe. "They will connect young people with sport, and tell the story of our proud Olympic and Paralympic history."

The characters are named after the small town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire - which hosted a precursor to the modern Olympic Games in the 19th Century - and the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire.

The Wenlock Games gave inspiration to Baron Pierre de Coubertain as he formed his concept of the modern Olympics in 1896.

Olympic motifs chime through the design: Wenlock wears the Olympic rings as friendship bracelets, and although predominantly silver in colour, also contains flashes of gold and bronze.

Mandeville's head reflects aspects of the three crescent shapes of the Paralympics symbol.

In a deliberate homage to London taxis, each has a yellow light on top of its head, with an initial in the middle.

In author Morpurgo's vision, the pair begin life as two drops of steel from a factory in Bolton, taken home by a retiring worker who fashions characters out of the metal for his grandchildren.

They appear to have a single central eye, explained as a camera lens, through which they'll see the world, and respond to it.

In a series of animated updates, linked to the official games website, they will be seen learning to play different Olympic sports in a narrative that will be regularly revised between now and the opening of the Games.

The mascots are an important revenue generating tool for the Games, and Locog's commercial partners were consulted throughout the design process.