Barcelona 1992The Mascot

Name

Cobi

The name, Cobi, is an allusion to COOB'92, an abbreviation of the Barcelona '92 Olympic Organising Committee. The name was chosen because it is simple and easy to pronounce in most languages.

Description

Cobi is a humanised Pyrenean mountain dog in a cubist style. While his expression and three spiky hairs are the same, he has an impressively large wardrobe. Reactions to Cobi were mixed when he was first presented, but he grew in popularity during the months leading up to the Games, and ultimately proved a huge success.

Creator

Javier Mariscal

Did You Know?

A competition by the Organising Committee between six designers decided the choice of mascot. The jury of experts selected Mariscal's submission.

Mariscal's contribution to the Games in Barcelona was not limited to Cobi. He also designed characters for the Opening Ceremony representing Spanish painting and culture, as well as the font used for the diplomas awarded to the first eight competitors in each event.

A series of 26 episodes of the cartoon “The Cobi Troupe” followed the adventures of Cobi and his friends. The aim of the series, whose target audience was 5-12 year olds, was to make the mascot more widely known and promote the Games in Barcelona. The rights were bought by 24 television channels.