Mandeville sticker set
£3.00
During our bid to host the 2012 Games, London promised to connect young people with the power of the Games and in doing so inspire them to choose sport. On our journey to London 2012 we believe that our mascots will be one of the most powerful ways for us to connect with young people and deliver this vision.
October 2008
We advertised the opportunity to design the London 2012 mascots on CompeteFor – the London 2012 procurement website.
More than 100 designers, artists and agencies applied to design the London 2012 mascots.
Over the next few months we selected the best ideas, tested them with the public and industry experts and developed them based on this feedback.
May - November 2009
The final three ideas were extensively researched with people all round the UK. We learnt an important lesson: the British public don't just want a character, they also want a story. The Games coming to London is such a unique event that we should mark it with something truly enchanting. Something for everyone in the UK to talk about.
We also tested the ideas with toy industry experts who agreed that Wenlock and Mandeville were the best choices.
December 2009
Based on all the feedback we received, we selected Wenlock and Mandeville as the official London 2012 mascots.
They were clearly the characters with the best story – and they are on a mission to find out as much as they can about the UK and sport.
January - May 2010
A great story needs a great storyteller, and we were delighted that Michael Morpurgo agreed to write the first chapter.
‘Out of a rainbow’ tells the story of Grandpa George sculpting two figures from the last two drops of steel used for making the Olympic Stadium and giving them to his grandchildren. Brought to life by a rainbow, Wenlock and Mandeville learn from and copy the children, try sport inspired by the posters on their wall and then head off on their adventures.
This story was adapted into a stunning animated film. The film was launched on 19 May 2010.
