HOME
Pins for Sale or
Trade
My Collection
Pins Wanted
The History of
Izzy
Izzy Pin Links
Sign the Guest
Book!
The Izzy Project
Contact Us
of the torch. Fabulous stadiums and training facilities soon followed.
The Elders, guardians of Torch World, dutifully scheduled and judged
a constant procession of Torch World Olympic Games. The energy of
the Olympic Spirit from these games helped fuel the flame above them
and kept it burning brightly.
As
with most heroic tales, facts are lost in the retelling. Exactly how
Izzy gained the power to leave Torch World is unclear. One legend
tells of a wise Elder's revelation that a Whatizit could make it to
Olympic Games on Earth, but only for the Centennial Games. The rights
of passage had to be earned by finding the five Olympic rings hidden
in the center of Torch World, a rugged and dangerous region
where no Whatizit 
and had taken a shortcut. For his honesty, he received the Black Ring
of Integrity. In gymnastics, Izzy gave the performance of a lifetime,
but the judges scored it low. By not blaming the judges and vowing
to train harder instead, Izzy's good attitude earned the Red Ring
of Sportsmanship. A perfect hurdles race won Izzy a gold medal and
the Yellow Ring of Excellence. Izzy was the first Whatizit to ever
be awarded any of the rings. Jealousy shrouded the Torch World and
for the first time the torch began to sputter and grow dim. For the
sake of the torch and in consideration of his fellow athletes, Izzy
abandoned his dream one ring short of his goal. In grand ceremony,
the Tribunal of Elders presented Izzy with the most prestigious award
of all, the Green Ring of Brotherhood. All the citizens of Izzy the Mascot
  Izzy
was amazed as he began to acclimate to the many magical powers joining
the 5 Olympic rings had given him. Superior speed, strength, agility,
wisdom, and insight enabled him to do things Whatizits never dreamed
were possible. Among his new found strengths was the ability to be
amorphous. Izzy could magically transform into any shape, size, or
form. It was fun to "morph" into and become a part of other
things or beings. At last, Izzy had the know how to use his amorphous
powers to exit Torch World and go to Earth to fulfill his Olympic
Destiny. |
||||
| The 1992 Barcelona Games were only five weeks away. The Atlanta Games organizers were running out of time as they searched for the perfect mascot. The committee had been deluged with mascot suggestions from all over the world. Willie B., the beloved gorilla from the Atlanta Zoo was a big favorite. Br'er Rabbit, the folklore hare of Georgia author, Joel Chandler Harris, was another. Flambeau, the Phoenix, the Greek mythological bird that rose from its ashes, as did Atlanta after the Civil War, seemed very appropriate. Still, the organizers were hoping for something innovative and special to represent the Centennial Games. | ||||
 With
being a part of the Olympic Games foremost on his mind, the first
thing Izzy did was morph into the light fixture of an office where
the Atlanta organizers were having a committee meeting. He listened
in as they said choosing and marketing the "right" mascot
was imperative. The World would judge the host city and the success
or failure of its games on how well their Mascot spread the "Olympic
Spirit and Goodwill" to all mankind. |
||||
 In
Torch World all Whatizits spread the Olympic Spirit. "Mascot"
was a strange new word that intrigued Izzy. He yearned to know more.
Mom was just the one who could help! Izzy grabbed his cell phone and
called home to ask what a "mascot" might be. Whatizits do
not know about mascots, but Mom was not about to admit she was clueless.
Her motherly advice was to research the subject on his computer, then
he would always remember. |
||||
| From
his laptop, Izzy learned that "Waldi," a squatty little
Dachshund, became the first official mascot for the Munich Games of
1972. Since, the upcoming host city traditionally introduces its "official
mascot" at the closing of the previous games. Caricatures of
animals native to the host country are usually chosen. As ambassadors
of the Olympic Spirit, mascots add a fun and exciting element to the
Games that reaches beyond language and cultural differences. When Izzy left Torch World, his ambition was to be the world's greatest Olympic athlete. All Whatizits are born of the Olympic Spirit, so it was only natural that Izzy also felt he was the perfect solution to the Mascot problem. With his magical powers, Izzy was certain he could be both. |
||||
| Izzy began his mascot campaign by morphing himself as an “idea” within the mind of his creator, John Ryan. The little blue Whatizit soon materialized as a computer generated sketch which John submitted to the organizers as a candidate for Atlanta mascot consideration. | ||||
  Atlanta
Committee for the Olympic Games President and CEO, Billy Payne, instantly
knew Izzy was the futuristic mascot he had hoped for. The little “Blue
Guy” with a green dad and a purple mom was the perfect example
of the diversity that had moved Atlanta beyond racial prejudice. Izzy
could easily transform himself into a  male
or female athlete, thus bridging the gender gap. This Torch World
citizen held no ties to Atlanta, Georgia, or the USA. He could carry
the flag of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe and all the powerful or obscure
nations in between with equality. Payne and the ACOG staff were confident
Izzy had the versatility and the appeal to take the games to the next
Millennium. |
||||
 
ACOG resisted pressure to terminate “Whatizit.” Instead, the mascot underwent a makeover that softened his crude expression. An advisory board of children was assembled to give "Whatizit" a less confusing name. "Kirby," their first choice was vetoed because Nintendo had copyrights to that name. Izzy, their second choice, became Izzy, a Whatizit, citizen of Torch World, and official mascot of the 1996 Olympic Games. Later a second makeover trimmed Izzy down, made him more mobile, and added a cute little red nose. |
||||
| "Izzy Bashing", the first competition of the Atlanta Games, began long before the Olympic Team trials. Competitors were not athletes, but journalists taking advantage of Izzy's cold reception. The battle of words was fought out daily in newspapers and magazines as writers made sport of topping each other with Izzy insults. The merciless monikers of the "lets trash the Atlanta mascot craze" were humiliations such as Pizzy, a little mutant monstrosity, a blue blob, a paint spill, toxic waste, an accident, navel lint, a two-headed toad, a sperm in sneakers, Quasismurf, Billy's folly, the product of a bad marriage between the ugliest California Raisin and the Pillsbury Dough Boy and others that bordered on the unprintable. Reporters were repulsed at the thought of toddlers trading their teddy bears for the horrid blue monster. They said Billy Payne's abominable mascot had disgraced Atlanta, blowing its chance to become the next great International City. History would reflect upon the Centennial Games as the "Bubba Games." The Izzy Bashers were so aggressive, people who liked Whatizit were afraid to admit it. | ||||
| While the media had its fun, Izzy began training. Unlike human athletes who spend a lifetime practicing for the defining moment of a single sport, Izzy trained for all 271 events on the Atlanta schedule. At 4 1/2 feet tall and wearing size 22 sneakers, the 15 year old "Blue Thing" was looked upon as a joke, not a medal contender. | ||||
      |
||||
| Aided by his amorphous powers, Izzy was faster, stronger and more agile than was humanly possible. World records were surpassed regularly in every sport as Izzy practiced. The more Izzy trained, the more he pondered the consequences and fairness of his superiority. Izzy's mission was not to undermine the Atlanta Games. He wanted to make them special. Sportsmanship and goodwill meant more than hogging up all the medals. Putting others ahead of himself, as he had done in Torch World, Izzy concluded it was only fair to leave the outcome of the medal races to the human athletes. This decision, once made, gave Izzy time to work on changing his image as the little blue monstrosity everybody loved to hate. Repairing his floundering mascot image seemed impossible, but Izzy vowed to give the world its greatest mascot for the 100th anniversary of the Modern Olympic Games. With his power of wisdom and insight, he knew he would not fail. | ||||
  "Izzy
Bashings" gave way to "Izzy Sightings." Atlanta Centennial
Olympic Properties, the marketing arm of ACOG, had 18 Izzy costumes
manufactured by International Mascots. Soon Izzy was everywhere, spreading
the Olympic spirit and winning the hearts of young and old alike.
The growing demand for Izzy kept his schedule coordinator, LaTara
Bullock busy as well as the many volunteers who endured the heat and
weight of the costume. Powered by the magic of Izzy the Whatizit morphed
within them, the live mascots created an excitement that won over
more and more Izzy fans with every appearance. As the Atlanta Games
drew near, the crowds of adoring Izzy fans grew into mobs. A great
day for any kid was the day he or she scored a hug or posed for a
picture with the lovable mascot! |
||||
| Souvenirs
of anything "Izzy" sold faster than stores could stock them.
The sale of Izzy merchandise topped $150,000,000, by far exceeding
the record of the previous most successful mascot, Cobi, of the Barcelona
'92 Games. Izzy skipped his way across America as a part of the Olympic
Torch Relay. He floated along as a gigantic
helium filled balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And
yes, that was Izzy having the time of his life at the White House
Easter Egg Roll. Izzy was here. Izzy was there. Izzy was everywhere! |
||||
The revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 was an effort to promote worldwide harmony through sports. The concept was perfect, but the world is not. Disgruntled nations take away from the "goodness" of the games with boycotts to make political statements. Izzy came to earth not knowing the meaning of "mascot", but he learned his lesson well. Olympic mascots speak or act out an international message that requires no interpretation and is unlimited by boundaries. Izzy was not " an American entity," but a champion of the Olympic Spirit for all the world. It came as no surprise, then, that the Atlanta Olympic Games were the first of the modern era without a boycott. All 197 nations of the International Olympic Committee sent teams. Appropriately,
the Atlanta mascot accomplished a number of firsts, also. Izzy was
the first mascot with his own web site, the first to have his
own video game, the first to star in a movie, and the first
to become a theme park attraction. The movie, "Izzy's
Quest for Olympic Gold," aired as an animated special on
TNT, August 12, 1995. It was also distributed internationally. "Wild
Ride Izzy" became the world's first Olympic inspired roller
coaster at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.
|
||||
 |
||||
Perhaps the greatest testimonial to the success of Izzy as the Atlanta Olympic Games mascot was a bitter disappointment for Izzy, his creator, and the legion of Izzy lovers throughout the world. ACOG excluded Izzy from the Opening Ceremony and barred him from appearing at venues while games were in progress. The reason: Izzy's presence created such a frenzy of excitement, it would detract from the solemn traditional ceremony or create a side show that would draw the attention of spectators away from the Games. Izzy had to settle for greeting his fans along the fringes or delighting them from his Izzy Mobile in Centennial Park. As
the "World's Greatest Athlete," Muhammad Ali, lit the
torch to begin the Centennial Olympic Games, the "World's Greatest
Olympic Mascot," Izzy, was hidden from view. But, who can say
he was not there, "morphed" as the Olympic Spirit within
the hearts of the 10,320 world class athletes and the 2,000,000
fans who made the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Olympic Games the "World's
Greatest Sporting Event?" |
Izzy Lives On!
Web Design by Ideatrout