The organizer has chosen a revolutionary symbol, validated by children, to embody the games, of which he hopes to sell millions of copies by 2024.
By Nicolas Lepeltier
She sports a large red dress, a frank smile, a tricolor cockade at the end of her big blue eyes. She responds, or rather they answer, in the name of Phryges, since there are two. The Phryges are the mascots of the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Paris 2024, unveiled Monday November 14 by the Games Organization Committee (COJOP).
As their name suggests, they are inspired by the Phrygian cap, a symbol par excellence of the French Revolution and Republic, taught in all classrooms. “We were looking for a mascot that embodies the French spirit, which carries the colors of the country, a part of our history”, details Julie Matikhine, the director of the brand in Paris 2024, who specifies that the choice of the mascot was tested and validated by samples of children from 6 to 14 years old.
The Phryges – A name difficult to pronounce and write, even more for a stranger – are almost twin, or twins, since the Paris 2024 mascot is not gendered. Their differences? One has a prosthesis and a red basketball when the other is wearing two white sneakers with tricolor laces. The Olympic Phryge, go to know why, is portrayed as the intellectual of the two, more thoughtful, when its paralympic alter ego is described as a fetard and burnt head.
For the rest, bad tongues say that phryge looks like a hen. To review the previous ones in history From the Olympic Games , the Phryges are far from being the least successful mascots.
a juicy business
Should we see in the choice made by Paris 2024 of the Phrygian Bonnet, three years after a common logo in Olympic and Paralympic editions -for the first time in the history of the Games -, another manifestation of the Cojop will to break with the previous Olympic Games? A way of “breaking the codes”, formula dear to Tony Estanguet – boss of the cojop -, “to help the French to make their revolution by sport”, according to Julie Matikhine?
The organizers of Paris 2024 have in any case ruled out the choice of an animal. Because since “Schuss”, the first mascot in the history of the games, in Grenoble in 1968, two thirds have been embodied by animals, including a majority of bears, reference to the teddy bear of our childhoods.
coconored by the creative agent W and by the design teams of Paris 2024, the Phryges will be available from November 15 on the Carrefour shelves, “premium” partner of Paris 2024 and exclusive distributor in large areas, in the main Toy stores (play club, La Grande Récré, etc.), as well as in the first official physical boutique in Paris 2024, which must open on November 14 in the Halles, in Paris.
Made in Asia by French SMEs gipsy toys And comforter and company – who takes the opportunity to relocate in his Factory in Brittany 15 % of its production of stuffed animals -, the phryges -mainly made up of recycled materials -will also be available in the form of t -shirts, hooded sweatshirts, keychain or pin’s.
The cojop aims to sell several million copies of the phryges to the Olympic Games. At 26 euros the 24 cm model (several sizes will be available, up to 80 cm), the sale of mascots represents a juicy market. Especially when we remember the Bing Dwen Dwen madness at the Beijing Winter Games in February, during which the uninterrupted lines of customers crowded at the outlets to leave with the plastic panda that has become too rare. Sales of products stamped Phryges could represent up to 25 % of Paris 2024 “licensing” revenues, estimated in total at 127 million euros. Revolutionary the mascot, but above all a very good deal.