Izzy ( mascot ) - wikipedia Izzy ( mascot ) `` Whatzit '' and `` Whatzit ? '' redirect here. For the puzzle game known in America as `` Whatzit '' or `` Whatzit ? '', see Dingbats ( board game ). Izzy was the official mascot of the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics. Named Whatizit ( What is it ? ) at its first introduction at the close of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the animated character with the ability to morph into different forms was a departure from the Olympic tradition in that it did not represent a nationally - significant animal or human figure. Contents 1 History 1.1 Conception and introduction at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics 1.2 Izzy 's Quest for Olympic Gold 1.3 Media ridicule 1.4 Video game 2 References 3 External links History Conception and introduction at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics In 1991, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games ( ACOG ) began a search for a mascot with a competition of twenty design firms as well as suggestions from the general public. The selection, Whatizit, was designed by John Ryan, senior animation director of Atlanta - based design firm DESIGNefx. Whatizit originally appeared as a blue, tear - shaped `` blob '' with rings around his eyes and tail. He wore high - top sneakers and had star - shaped pupils. His arms and legs were also short with a toothy grin showing both rows of teeth. He was later modified to have longer limbs to give a more athletic look. After a very critical reception to Whatizit 's introduction during the closing ceremonies of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, ACOG began work to reshape the character specifically focusing on children, who were far more attracted to the character than adults. His greatest change came about after he lost the bottom row of teeth and gained a nose. He was then referred to as Izzy. Also, his tongue became visible, and his limbs became longer, skinnier, and more athletic in appearance. Izzy 's Quest for Olympic Gold ACOG commissioned an animated television special entitled `` Izzy 's Quest For Olympic Gold '' to promote Izzy and expand his backstory. Produced by Film Roman, the special aired only once on TNT on August 12, 1995, and is now considered to be a lost piece of media. Media ridicule Despite continued efforts to evolve his look, Izzy proved very unpopular ; a range of nicknames appeared in media outlets, such as `` The Sperm in Sneakers. '' Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia, named a new Wild Mouse roller coaster after the mascot, but the name has since been changed. A popular joke that circulated in Atlanta around the end of the 1996 games stated that the blue line painted on Peachtree Road ( which actually designated the route for the Olympic Marathon ) was `` Izzy 's ass being dragged out of town. '' Video game Izzy served as the player 's character in a video game titled Izzy 's Quest for the Olympic Rings, released in 1995 by U.S. Gold for the Super NES and Genesis platforms. An adventure game entitled Izzy 's Adventure was released for PC in 1996. References Jump up ^ The Official Report Of The Centennial Olympic Games ( PDF ). Peachtree Publishers. 1997. p. 130. ISBN 1 - 56145 - 150 - 9. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2008 - 05 - 28. Jump up ^ Levine, Felicia ( 1996 - 08 - 06 ). `` Dizzy Izzy is n't busy, is he ? ''. South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 20. Jump up ^ Kowalski, Frankie. `` The Great Adventures of Izzy -- An Olympic Hero for Kids ''. Animation World Magazine. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 20. Jump up ^ `` More marketing disaster than success ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009 - 03 - 13. Jump up ^ `` ProReview : Izzy 's Quest for the Olympic Rings ''. GamePro. IDG ( 69 ) : 46. April 1995. Jump up ^ `` Izzy 's Quest for the Olympic Rings ''. Moby Games. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 20. External links Olympics portal North America portal United States portal Atlanta portal ( 1 ) photograph of Izzy, on a mascot manufacturer website. izzypins a website devoted to Izzy the Whatizit. Preceded by Håkon and Kristin Olympic mascot Izzy Atlanta 1996 Succeeded by Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki Olympic mascots, Paralympic mascots and Youth Olympic mascots Olympic mascots Summer Olympics 1972 : Waldi 1976 : Amik 1980 : Misha 1984 : Sam 1988 : Hodori 1992 : Cobi 1996 : Izzy 2000 : Olly, Syd and Millie 2004 : Athena and Phevos 2008 : Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini 2012 : Wenlock 2016 : Vinicius 2020 : TBA 2024 : TBA 2028 : TBA Winter Olympics 1968 : Schuss ( unofficial ) 1976 : Schneemann 1980 : Roni 1984 : Vučko 1988 : Hidy and Howdy 1992 : Magique 1994 : Håkon and Kristin 1998 : The Snowlets 2002 : Powder, Copper and Coal 2006 : Neve and Gliz 2010 : Miga, Quatchi and Mukmuk 2014 : Polar Bear, Hare, Leopard 2018 : Soohorang 2022 : TBA 2026 : TBA Paralympic mascots Summer Paralympics 1980 : Noggi and Joggi 1984 : Samuel 1988 : Gomodori 1992 : Petra 1996 : Blaze 2000 : Lizzie 2004 : Proteas 2008 : Fu Niu Lele 2012 : Mandeville 2016 : Tom 2020 : TBA 2024 : TBA 2028 : TBA Winter Paralympics 1992 : Alpy 1994 : Sondre 1998 : Parabbit 2002 : Otto 2006 : Aster 2010 : Sumi and Mukmuk 2014 : Ray of Light and Snowflake 2018 : Bandabi 2022 : TBA 2026 : TBA Youth Olympic mascots Summer Youth Olympics 2010 : Lyo and Merly 2014 : Lele 2018 : TBA Winter Youth Olympics 2012 : Yoggl 2016 : Sjogg 2020 : TBA Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Izzy_(mascot)&oldid=778506404 '' Categories : 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic mascots Fictional characters introduced in 1996 Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2010 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2007 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Español Français Português Edit links This page was last edited on 3 May 2017, at 15 : 13. 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Question: the name of the mascot for 1996 olympics held at atlanta was
Answer: Izzy