Meet Sumi: The Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympic Mascot
Sumi is an animal guardian spirit. It is a mythical creature called chimera, which features characteristics of other creatures. Designed by Vicki Wong and Michael Murphy of Meomi Design, the Paralympic mascot for Vancouver 2010 has motifs of three mythical creatures that appear in the legends of the First Nations. Sumi wears the hat of an orca whale, it has the wings of a thunderbird and the legs of a black bear.
In addition to reflecting First Nation imagery, Sumi’s name comes from “Sumesh”, the Salish word for “guardian spirit”. Combining influences drawn from many different sources, Sumi represents diverse backgrounds of not only of Canadians, but also of the athletes coming to Vancouver to compete at the Games.
An Unexpected Fan Favourite: Mukmuk
The Paralympic mascot and the Olympic mascots Quatchi and Miga are accompanied by a sidekick: Mukmuk, the marmot. Mukmuk’s name is derived from “muckamuck” which means “food” in Squamish, as it loves to eat food. Mukmuk is a Vancouver Island marmot, which is an endangered species. Despite being a sidekick to the mascots, Mukmuk has been very popular.
The designers of both the Paralympic and Olympic mascots and their sidekick were chosen by the Organising Committee from a list of 177 candidates around the world. The winning candidate was Meomi Design, a company based in Vancouver, after a thorough assessment of the portfolios the Committee received. The mascots were revealed to the public on 27 November 2007.