04/25/24
December 08, 2004
World Cup Germany 2006: : the all important mascot has been revealed. It's a lion. Does that mean we (in the UK) have to spend the next two years listening to Gary Lineker inferring that it's a sign of an impending England victory in the World Cup?
A lion?
posted by StarFucker at 10:01 AM on December 08, 2004
SF, not just any lion, a rascally lion!
posted by 86 at 10:02 AM on December 08, 2004
Doesn't Lineker do that for every tournament already? Also - Some past mascots here. Why the hell did Spain have a giant nectarine?
posted by afx237vi at 10:24 AM on December 08, 2004
Why the hell did Spain have a giant nectarine? According to his name, he's actually a little orange. Can't explain the why though. I'd totally forgotten about Italy's weird-ass stick thing. WTF, Italy?
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:39 AM on December 08, 2004
The Spainish grow a lot of oranges. Italy doesn't grow many stick men though, so I too am baffled. Thanks for the link to the past mascots Ufez - imagine you're the guy who gets given the brief to design the next one - you'd look at that lot and reckon you were on to a definite winner. Maybe it's harder than we think. But still - I'm with SF - a lion?
posted by JJ at 10:48 AM on December 08, 2004
(Also, thank you Ufez for hyphenating "weird-ass stick" and avoiding me getting an image in my head of... damn it.)
posted by JJ at 10:49 AM on December 08, 2004
I just don't get it... Why a lion? Makes no sense... Why not a huge soccerball of some kind...or 5 soccer balls? Or how about a character based on the goal or even just the netting? Who the hell is in charge over there?!
posted by StarFucker at 11:11 AM on December 08, 2004
"While some critics have questioned the selection of a lion, as opposed to a German eagle, for the coveted mascot position, naysayers may be comforted to know that the last nation to choose a lion as mascot — England in 1966 — went on to win the tournament."How strange. It was invented by the Sesame Street people... wtf?
posted by afx237vi at 11:20 AM on December 08, 2004
Woah, only now am I noticing the weird-ass football-with-a-face thing. That, my friends, is creepy.
posted by afx237vi at 11:22 AM on December 08, 2004
I like the lion's photo gallery, especially this picture that's begging to be photoshopped. And yes, the football-with-a-face is pretty damn creepy.
posted by blarp at 12:03 PM on December 08, 2004
World Cup 2006 is NOT getting off to a good start...
posted by StarFucker at 12:14 PM on December 08, 2004
Is that a lion or Alf's younger brother?
posted by billsaysthis at 12:58 PM on December 08, 2004
Ah, JJ, you old so-and-so...that was afx237vi that provided the historical link (and the subsequent followup links), so I can take no credit for that. That hyphenation of weird-ass, though, well... *curtsies*
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:00 PM on December 08, 2004
Goleo VI. Just rolls off the tongue, don't it. Seems to have a long neck for lion though. Maybe I mean a long neck for an anthropomorphic lion that wears a football jersey and shoes but NO SHORTS and has an anthropomorphic football for a buddy.
posted by gspm at 02:39 PM on December 08, 2004
Goleo VI rhymes with scoliosis.
posted by Smackfu at 02:55 PM on December 08, 2004
Shit Ufez - so it was - apologies to all and sundry. Especially sundry (and to you, giver of links, afx237vi... with a name like that, were you in the running for the mascot job?).
posted by JJ at 04:18 PM on December 08, 2004
I was offered the gig first, but I was unwilling to carry around an anthromorphic head. That shit just freaks me out. I was ok with the football jersey / no shorts combo. But the head? No way.
posted by afx237vi at 04:50 PM on December 08, 2004
What gig?
posted by StarFucker at 09:06 AM on December 09, 2004
My favorite will always be Footix the dancing cock from France 98.
posted by psmealey at 03:22 PM on December 10, 2004
What gig? The mascot gig. Was I the only Spofite it was offered to?
posted by afx237vi at 03:26 PM on December 10, 2004
I'd totally forgotten about Italy's weird-ass stick thing. WTF, Italy? Blame Post Modernism, Ufez. Onto the lion. That's a lion? Looks like the love child of a hyena and gorilla. Weird ass indeed.
posted by Dick Paris at 11:01 AM on December 11, 2004
"He combines the looks of Lothar Matthäus, the elegance of Diego Maradona and the all-round ability of Oliver Bierhoff - or so the brash young lion says of himself in his first interview, albeit with a wink and a grin." Well... as long as he's being ironic.