Olympic mascots have become a big part of each event. Check out photos of the most notable mascots and see how they've changed over the years.

The Phryges 2024

The mascots for the Olympic Games in Paris were designed to look like the Phrygian caps worn as a symbol of freedom during the French revolution. When revolutionaries stormed the Bastille in 1789 to kick off the French revolution they donned these hats, as do many French protestors when they organize in the present.

Beijing 2022

Bing Dwen Dwen was the mascot for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. "Bing" commonly means "ice," while "Dwen Dwen" represents children and liveliness.

PyeongChang 2018

The 2018 Winter Olympics featured Soohorang, a white tiger. Soohorang was meant to be a protector for athletes and spectators, though he doesn't look super fearsome.

Rio 2016

This daredevil is Vinicius, yet another cat-type creature in what has become a real common theme with Olympic mascots.

London 2012

We're still not quite sure what Wenlock is. His design was inspired by everything from the Olympic Stadium's roof to the black cabs that roam London's streets.

Atlanta 1996

This happy little creature is Izzy and is not meant to be a human figure, animal, or object. Huh?

Lillehammer 1994

Olympic mascots tend to be anthropomorphic characters, but in the 1994 Winter Olympics, they were people. The woman in the background doesn't look too impressed with Haakon and Kristin, however.

Calgary 1988

Having mascots named Hidy and Howdy (after two common greetings) is about the most Canadian thing imaginable.

Seoul 1988

Hodori looks like a cease-and-desist letter just waiting to happen, but apparently, his resemblance to Tony the Tiger wasn't a problem.

Los Angeles 1984

In 1984, the Summer Games mascot really upped the level of patriotism - he's even named Sam! Sam was originally going to be a bear, but ended up as the eagle you see here.

Sarajevo 1984

This rascally looking fella was the mascot for the 1984 Winter Games, but looks like he'd be more at home terrorizing cartoon rabbits in a 1950s Disney movie.

Montreal 1976

If you need to see how far Olympic mascots have come, check out these two, uh...beavers? This rather abstract design is strikingly different from the cartoonish, kid-friendly mascots we've had since.

Grenoble 1968

Here it is, the humble beginnings of the Olympic mascot tradition. Shuss is simple and was created in just one night, but hey — he's still better than Clippy from Microsoft Word!