Warning: Football Tournament Mascots Can Damage Your Financial Health
UEFA unveiled the new mascots for Euro 2008 yesterday. The as yet unnamed twins - fans in Austria and Switzerland can choose from the names "Flitz and Bitz", "Zagi and Zigi", or "Trix and Flix" in a vote next month, sport spiky haircuts that represent the mountains of the two host countries.
There are some problems with the proposed names for the (presumeably male) twins: "Zigi" is a slang word in Swiss German for "cigarette" and "Trix" could be a girl's name in Switzerland (short for Beatrice or Beatrix), however unlike Goleo, the 2006 World Cup mascot, the one-eyebrowed twins are at least clothed from the waist down, and would seem to be less controversial.
Commercial merchandising for Euro 2008 is due to begin next year, with the mascots expected to feature on around half of the 2,000 planned Euro 2008 official products. However, prospective mascot manufacturers beware. Companies in both Japan and Germany that promoted products featuring the 2002 mascots, Ato, Kaz and Nik (aka The Spheriks) and the 2006 mascots Goleo (the trouserless lion) and his sidekick Pille both went bankrupt, due in part to the high licence fees.
Mascot image © www.GEPA-pictures.com