Are Olympic Mascots Canadian?

Earlier today the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics committee revealed the mascots for the big event. When I first saw them my initial thought was..."When did they decide to move the Olympics to Japan?"

Just like the original Vancouver Olympics symbol that was introduced a year or so ago, I have to wonder what people were thinking. Sure these new guys are kind of cute and I'm betting the kids will just love them and will be begging their parents to buy them; which is probably what organizers are hoping for; but does anyone look at them and say..."ahhh...they must be the Canadian Olympic mascots!" I doubt it very much.

Lets examine them shall we. First we have Quatchi the first Sasquatch in history to make an appearance before human beings. This brown furball is said to come from the mountains of B.C. and has a love for hockey. Yes...it's a well known fact that all Bigfoot creatures can be found on the frozen lakes and ponds of the west coast playing shinny. They say Quatchi reminds us of the mystery and wonder associated with the great Canadian wilderness. If you ask me, he reminds me of what a bear might look like after wrestling with an electric fence.

Next is Miga the Sea Bear. Perhaps we should ask Captain Hiliner how many sea bears he's come across in all his years on the sea. Have you ever seen a sea bear Billy? I'm guessing no. As the back story goes, Miga is inspired by the legends of the Pacific Northwest First Nations - tales of orca whales that transform into bears when they arrive on land. Part Spirit Bear, a rare white bear unique to BC, Miga’s outgoing spirit and high energy draw her to action and adventure. Aaahhh....OK.

Finally it's Sumi the unknown creature. Honestly what the heck is it? According to the VANOC, Sumi is an animal spirit who wears the hat of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty thunderbird and runs on the furry legs of the black bear. With a name that is derived from the Salish word ’sumesh,’ meaning ‘guardian spirit,’ Sumi is passionate about the environment and is a fan of all Paralympic sports. Of course he or she or it is. They don't need to tell us that because it's so obvious.

Is it just me or do these mascots look more like something you'd see on a Saturday morning cartoon that's produced in Japan with the English language dubbed over the original voices? And don't even get me started on the names which once again seem more foreign then Canadian. Of course, if you've been to Vancouver in the last 20 years you'd think you were probably in Hong Kong any way. Why else do they refer to it as "Hongcouver"?

I don't want to sound anti-aboriginal either because I'm not but it just seems like sometimes organizers of Canadian events such as the Olympics or a World Championship of some kind go out of their way to include an aboriginal theme. We all know the reason why as well. If they don't then all we'll read in the news or hear from tribal leaders is how they were slighted by organizers. So to avoid this problem they make sure they are not forgotten. I just had to vent on that for a moment.

Back to the mascots. When you ask people around the world or other Canadians what they think of when someone might suggest mascots for a Canadian Olympics I'm sure they wouldn't come up with any of these new ideas. Nothing wrong with change but they just don't scream Canada to me.

I guess when you're paying people millions of dollars to create a mascot they can't come back with a moose or beaver. Nobody's going to buy those I guess. Heck I would have even liked to see something based on Ogopogo the legendary creature located in Lake Okanagan. At least most Canadians have heard of it.

I say get rid of Sumi at least and bring in an Ogopogo character that the Canadian adult public can relate to. The kids can still have their Quatchi and Miga.