The Phryges () are the official mascots of the

2024 Summer Olympics ) , nations = TBA , athletes = 10,500 ''(quota limit)'' , events = 329 in 32 sports (48 disciplines) , opening = 26 July 2024 , closing = 11 August 2024 , opened_by = , stadium = Stade de France Jardins du Trocadéro and River Seine , summer ...

and

2024 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = TBA , athletes = TBA , events = 549 in 22 sports , opening = 28 August , closing = 8 September , opened_by = President Emmanuel Macron (expected) , cauldron = TBA , stadium = Stade de France Pl ...

in Paris. They are anthropomorphic Phrygian caps, a French symbol of

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

History

Background

The Phrygian cap, a soft hat typically in red, was traditionally worn by freed slaves in

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empire ...

, an ancient kingdom located in present-day Turkey. Since the 1789 storming of the

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...

state prison, which began the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the Phrygian cap was worn as a symbol of liberty, including during the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

in Paris.

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the France, French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of Liberté, égalité, fraternité, liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Liber ...

, the national personification of France, is often depicted wearing a Phrygian cap. The Phryges were designed by Gilles Deleris and Jules Dubost.

Unveiling

On 14 November 2022, with the reveal of the Paris 2024 mascot, they were advertised as "sporty, party-loving and so French."

Tony Estanguet Tony Estanguet (born 6 May 1978 in Pau) is a French slalom canoeist and a three-time Olympic champion in C1. He competed at the international level from 1994 to 2012. Racing career Estanguet won three Olympic gold medals in the C1 event in ...

, president of the

organizing committee A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

, said that an "ideal" was chosen over an animal, elaborating on the cap's symbol of freedom and meaning to

French people The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially the ...

. He added that the Paralympics mascot's disability "also sends a strong message: to promote inclusion."

Characteristics

The Phryges are portrayed as two red triangular-shaped

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

caps. They have arms in a slope and present their top parts flopping forward. The Paris 2024 emblem is visible on their chests, and their eyes are adorned by tricolor ribbons portraying the

French flag The national flag of France (french: link=no, drapeau français) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the ''Tricolour'' (), although the flag of Ireland ...

, paying homage to the

cockade of France The cockade of France (french: Cocarde tricolore) is the national ornament of France, obtained by circularly pleating a blue, white and red ribbon. It is composed of the three colors of the French flag with blue in the center, white immediately o ...

. The Olympic Phryge has two blue sneakers, while the Paralympic Phryge wears a

prosthesis In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

and a red sneaker on the other leg. Each Phryge was given a personality. The Olympic Phryge is "the smart one" with a "methodical mind and alluring charm," whereas the Paralympic Phryge is "a party animal, spontaneous and a bit hotheaded."

Intellectual property and merchandising

The IOC maintains exclusive ownership and control of the use of

Olympic Symbols The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used througho ...

through an international treaty, the Nairobi Treaty on the Protection of the Olympic Symbol. The mascots are not to be used freely and generate revenues from granting exclusive rights, such as worldwide marking to commercial partners. IP protected assets of the Olympic Games properties come in different forms, such as: *

Trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from oth ...

of the Olympic Phryge : The Paris 2024 mascots are registered trademarks in France under the names “La Phryge Olympique" and "La Phryge Paralympique”. * Design of the Phryges : The shapes of the Olympic Phryges fall under

design rights An industrial design right is an intellectual property right that protects the visual design of objects that are purely utilitarian. An industrial design consists of the creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or color, or c ...

. The Hague System safeguards the design of the Phryges internationally to prevent infringements. Doudou & Compagnie announced a sale of over one million Phryge plush toys, with projections indicating a reach of 1.3 million units by the end of the sales cycle. The Olympic and Paralympic Phryge mascots were present on more than 150 merchandise items in the Olympic online shop alone. Condoms featuring images of the Phryges were produced as well. The revenues generated through the

IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental Sports governing body, sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an associ ...

’s use of IP rights are redistributed across the Olympic Movement to individual athletes, Organising Committees, NOCs, International Sports Federations and other sports organizations.

Reception

In France, criticisms have been made about most of the toy replicas of the mascot being

made in China Made in China, Product of China or sometimes Made in PRC is a country of origin label affixed to products manufactured in the People's Republic of China. The ''Made in China'' label is the most recognizable label in the world today, due t ...

. Julie Matikhine, director of the Paris 2024 brand, responded that "18 percent of the

stuffed toy A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be c ...

s produced by the company Doudou & Compagnie will be in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

," in the hope of "relocating part of the sector." The Phryges have been likened to a giant "

clitoris The clitoris ( or ) is a female sex organ present in mammals, ostriches and a limited number of other animals. In humans, the visible portion – the glans – is at the front junction of the labia minora (inner lips), above the o ...

in trainers", and have been nicknamed (the national clitoris) by French netizens. The French newspaper ''

Libération ''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France ...

'' hailed it as a revolutionary departure from the traditional

phallic architecture Phallic architecture consciously or unconsciously creates a symbolic representation of the human penis. Buildings intentionally or unintentionally resembling the human penis are a source of amusement to locals and tourists in various places around ...

of the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nickname ...

. Foreigners have been noted to compare the Phryges to the

poop emoji Pile of Poo (💩), also known informally as the poomoji ( slang), poop emoji (American English), or poo emoji ( British English), is an emoji resembling a coiled pile of feces, usually adorned with cartoon eyes and a large smile. Originated f ...

or a tongue.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Olympics, Sports, Fantasy, Europe, France 2024 Summer Olympics 2024 Summer Paralympics Caps Fictional amputees Fictional costumes Mascots introduced in 2022 Fictional people from Paris Fictional twins French mascots Liberty symbols Olympic mascots Paralympic mascots Object mascots Anthropomorphic objects