WTF Monday: Wenlock and Mandeville
Only three days late. One day I’ll get good at this ‘blogging to schedule’ malarkey.
So we touched on this in the comments to a recent post, but I thought it was time we properly dealt with London’s Olympic shame.
When it was announced that London had won the Olympics bid, I was looking forward to my home town showing the rest of the world why it is a capital of style, creativity, incredible design and all round fabulosity.
And then the mascots – Wenlock and Mandeville - were unveiled (the logo I can’t bear even to talk about). They are apparently supposed to be one-eyed drops of steel from the construction of the Olympic stadium, with London taxicab lights stuck on the tops of their heads. Of course. As an aside, I can’t find any reference to why Mandeville has apparently peeed his pants.
So, really, aren’t these more scary than attractive? Is anyone going to buy them/collect them? Aren’t they just embarrassingly lame?
I did do a one kid focus group with the Minx and she thought they were ‘cute’, so maybe I’m not the target market here. Though the Minx’s strange taste is already on record.
What do you think? What do your kids think? Are these an embarrassment to London? UK peeps, are the mascots much in evidence in the run-up to the Olympics or is everyone just trying to pretend they don’t exist?
Buy Wenlock and Mandeville here if you must.
I've written and deleted this comment several times because I'm trying to figure out how to tactfully point out that they are phallic to the extreme. Which seems a statement of the obvious. WTF? That being said, they are hideous, and I predict young children will love them.
Posted by: Michele | Sequined Asphault Studio | 17 April 2012 at 02:36 PM
i see the creatives still laughing at their desk the client actually bought this...
Posted by: lou | 17 April 2012 at 04:58 PM
I notice they've added a lion. Good move.
Back to the logo, a relative in the UK sent me a tea towel featuring the logo and the almost-the-same paralympics logo. EVEN WORSE IN PERSON.
Posted by: K | 17 April 2012 at 08:43 PM
They are hideous and creepy. The blue one looks morose and the orange one looks evil. I think they could both by psychopaths. Luckily I haven't seen them around much although after your post I clocked them in Sainsbury's where their prices had been reduced to...wait for it...£6.66.
Posted by: Jo | 21 April 2012 at 07:14 PM
Jo, HA!
Posted by: K | 23 April 2012 at 04:42 PM
Me he dado cuenta que hemos añadido un león. Buena jugada.
Realice una copia del logotipo.
Posted by: abercrombie madrid tienda | 26 April 2012 at 10:16 AM
Aaah the aliens are attacking!!! Lol, seriously...those things be freaky deaky.
Posted by: engagement rings las vegas | 07 November 2012 at 06:51 PM