Cobi (mascot)

Cobi is the official mascot of the 1992 Summer Olympics and Petra is the official mascot of the 1992 Summer Paralympics, both held in Barcelona, Spain.

Cobi

Cobi is a Catalan Sheepdog in Cubist style, designed by Javier Mariscal and inspired by the interpretations of Picasso of a masterpiece from Velázquez, ''Las Meninas''. He was unveiled to the public in 1987. His name was derived from that of the Barcelona Olympic Organising Committee (COOB).

Petra

After the popularity reached by Cobi, the organising committee requested that Mariscal create other characters to accompany Cobi on his adventures around the world. They appeared as supporting characters in books, stationery and figurines along other licensed products. For this to happen, he took out of the archives some original ideas that had been archived during the period when he was developing Cobi. He considered the "Palmerito", a Mediterranean palm that had created life, as well as an anthropomorphized lobster with a big smile. However, he realized that his first design proposal would fit much better at the Paralympic Games.

In order to fit the demands of the organizers, the creative style Mariscal used with Cobi would have had to be kept. Petra was originally one of Cobi's first drafts that had been saved for later use. As he redesigned her, the lines between the two became clearer; Petra became stronger and more humanized. She was also taller than Cobi, and was not given arms, which both shocked and sensitized at first glance. In addition, all characters were required to have Spanish names. Given the name Petra, she quickly captivated the organizing committee and was already considered the unofficial mascot of the Paralympic Games.

Unlike Cobi who was short, shy, fearful and uncoordinated, Petra was tall, slender, brave, chatty and friendly. Her personality was like a ray of light, and she never gave up on anything until the possibilities run out. This sometimes made the other characters uncomfortable in the stories. Her personality is based on plastic artist Lorenza Böttner, a friend of Mariscal's who had lost her arms in an electrical accident as a child. Böttner became famous in Barcelona because of her style of "danced painting", painting using her legs, feet, mouth and body while dancing. Böttner, a transgender woman, enchanted everyone around her because she did not let her disability hold her back from making art. Despite being HIV-positive, she aimed to lead a completely normal life. Mariscal imagined Petra in that vein, an armless girl that is supposed to convey positivity, extroversion, independence, energy and bravery.

Before and during the Games, Cobi and Petra were shown in a variety of advertisements for Olympic and Paralympic sponsors, such as Coca-Cola, Brother Industries and Danone. They even had their own television series, ''The Cobi Troupe'', which was sold to over 24 broadcasters worldwide, with Israeli broadcaster Arutz HaYeladim also making a series of live-action shorts called קובי כבל מייקר (''Cobi Cable Maker''), featuring Cobi competing in various sports. They also appeared on an extensive range of souvenirs, dubbed ''Cobiana'', which proved to be a lucrative source of income. During the Games, inflatable versions of Cobi and Petra were tethered to the Barcelona waterfront.

''The Cobi Troupe''

The Barcelona Olympic Organizing Committee and BRB Internacional produced an animated television series starring Cobi and Petra to promote the Games, titled ''The Cobi Troupe''. The series was created under the creative and artistic direction of Mariscal, with a screenplay by Tricicle. A series of six comic albums were also released alongside the television series.

Legacy

A Tendam fashion brand Women'secret released a set of pyjamas featuring Cobi during the 2024 Summer Olympics.

References

*"Cobi the pooch: not your average Olympic mascot", ''Anchorage Daily News'', quoted in Robert E Rinehart (1998), ''Players All: Performances in Contemporary Sport'', Indiana University, p137,
*Donald McNeill (1999), ''Urban Change and the European Left'', Routledge (UK), p47-8,

Olympic mascots
Paralympic mascots
Spanish mascots
Fictional Catalan people
Fictional dogs
Anthropomorphic dogs
Fictional dolls and dummies
Dog mascots
1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Paralympics
Culture of Catalonia
Fictional amputees
Spanish design
Mascots introduced in 1987

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