The Rio Olympics 2016 mascot was named Vinicius. It was designed to be a representation of Brazilian wildlife and was inspired by the fusion of various animals native to Brazil. Vinicius had a vibrant and colorful appearance. It had the shape of a yellow cat with greenish blue fur, and its overall design was a combination of different elements from several of Brazil's fauna, such as cats, birds, and monkeys. Vinicius was chosen as the official mascot of the Rio Olympics 2016 to represent the transformation and diversity of Brazilian culture and wildlife. It was created to personify the values of the games, such as joy, friendship, and passion for sports.

Rio 2016 Mascot Names Honor Noted Brazilian Musicians

It was created to personify the values of the games, such as joy, friendship, and passion for sports. Vinicius embodied the spirit of the Olympics and aimed to inspire the athletes and spectators. The mascot was named after Vinicius de Moraes, a famous Brazilian poet and lyricist.

(ATR) The Rio 2016 Olympic mascots are named Vinicius and Tom.

(ATR) The Rio 2016 Olympic mascots pay tribute to the host country’s musical history.

On Dec. 14, the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic mascots were named Vinicius and Tom after Rio-born musicians Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim. The announcement followed a three-week public vote where a majority 44 percent of the voters chose to immortalize the duo’s contributions to Brazilian culture.

Moraes and Jobim are famous for their contributions to bossa nova, one of the most well-known genres of Brazilian music. Jobim, in particular, composed "Garota de Ipanema," a worldwide hit and one of the most recorded songs of all time. Moraes was a composer, a playwright, and a poet who wrote several important song lyrics and albums.

According to Rio 2016 president Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the public made the right choice when naming the mascots.

"The names of Vinicius and Tom are recognized worldwide as a synonym for excellence, which is in line with what we want to achieve with the Rio 2016 Games," Nuzman said in a Rio 2016 press release on Sunday.

"In addition to representing the Brazilian fauna and flora, our mascots also connect to the best of our music. We are certain that they will be an inspiration to the youth."

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games are scheduled for Aug. 5 - 21, 2016.

Written by Andrew Murrell

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.

Say hello to the mascots of Rio 2016

The mascots for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games have said Oi! (hello!) to the world for the first time. Inspired by the fauna and flora of Brazil, the mascots feature various influences from pop culture, along with elements of animation and computer game characters.

The mascots blend fiction and reality and were both born on 2 October 2009, when Rio de Janeiro was elected to host the Games and the people’s great joy was felt by nature. It was from this energy that the mascots were created.

The Olympic mascot is a mixture of the different animals of Brazil. It lives its life by playing, jumping, running and smiling, and it can stretch and stretch and stretch itself, as much as it wants. As a mixture of Brazilian animals, it can also do the same things they can, like run faster, jump higher, and be stronger. It’s also able to imitate the voice of any animal, so it’s super communicative.

The Olympic mascot plays all the Olympic sports and its favourite pastime is making new friends. Its best friend is the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games mascot. It lives in a tree-house, in the Tijuca Forest, from where it can see the whole city and plan animal adventures. The mascot’s mission is to spread joy throughout the world and celebrate the friendship that flourishes between people from all over the world at this super sports event.

The Paralympic mascot is a unique mixture of Brazilian flora. It is able to pull crazy objects out of his head of leaves in order to get out of any jam. It knows all the secrets of nature and understands that with creativity, intelligence and determination, we can achieve whatever we want. It plays all the Paralympic sports and loves samba and all kinds of Brazilian music. Its mission is to inspire everybody to use creativity and determination to always reach further and have fun.

The Rio Olympics mascot is totally bizarre, but Olympics mascots are never normal

The Rio Olympics have been under fire for many things — the water quality, the conditions of the athletes’ housing, the prevalence of Zika in the region, the security concerns. It hasn’t been, shall we say, a walk in the village by any means. But what concerns me most is that one of the most troubling aspects of this year’s Olympics hasn’t really been addressed by the mainstream media at all. In fact, I’ve seen very few articles about this, which, frankly, makes me concerned about the state of journalism in 2016. Because the real problem with the Rio Olympics is the gangly-looking, anthropomorphized, cat-like, football-headed creature that has been named Vinicius and deemed the mascot. Look.

What even is this dude? A monkey? A cat? Is it a Minion that someone stretched out on one of those medieval torture machines? Someone should tell that girl hugging it to watch out, I bet Vinicius could go crazy and turn on her in a second. According to Olympic.org, Vinicius is named after the Brazilian musician Vinicius de Moraes, who is very good. Here is some of his music.

Vinicius is apparently “a mix of different Brazilian animals. His design takes inspiration from pop culture, as well as video game and animation characters.” Okay, now things are making sense: Whoever was in charge of coming up with this creature of the huge hands and feet did exactly what it looks like, which is mash up a bunch of animals, video game characters, and cartoons, stuff it with some synthetic filling, and call it day.

But we shouldn’t be surprised, really. Mascots at the Olympics have never been normal. Twitter moments has a really great feature going right now where they make exactly this point. For example, Izzy, the mascot from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, looks like a rejected, cross-eyed Sesame Street character. Or maybe a blueberry that got stepped on and then reincarnated as Mr. Potato Head.

Then you’ve got this motley crew from the 2000 Sydney Olympics. They look like scarier versions of Pokemon.

And check out these guys from the 2004 Athens games, which crack me up/scare the living daylights out of me. What are you?! What honestly are you guys? Are you supposed to be Doric columns? Are you fingers with feet?

And last, but not least, we have these horrifying cyclops from the London games in 2012 that — this is something I would bet hundreds of dollars on — gave people nightmares and still haunt the dreams of those unfortunate enough to run into them.

I’m terrified of mascots in general, but not all of them are as bad as the line of creatures that have historically been designed to represent the Olympics. It’s not that hard to come up a mascot that doesn’t look like something out of a sci-fi movie where a bunch of gunk spilled out of a vat and turned a dog into a mangled, demonized version of itself. MLB teams and colleges have actually managed to present the world with some delightful creatures, such as this guy.

And while Sochi might’ve been mostly a total disaster, they did do one thing right: The mascots were actually kind of cute.

So consider this a plea for PyeongChang in 2018: Give us something better to embrace as the fuzzy face of the games. It’s not rocket science.

His work was known for its celebration of Brazil's natural beauty and love for music. The choice of his name for the mascot was a tribute to his contributions to Brazilian culture and arts. Vinicius played an important role in promoting the Rio Olympics 2016. It appeared in various merchandise, marketing campaigns, and promotional materials. The mascot became a symbol of the games and was widely recognized by people of all ages, both in Brazil and internationally. Overall, the Rio Olympics 2016 mascot, Vinicius, represented the rich diversity and unique spirit of Brazil. It remains an iconic symbol of the games and a reminder of the vibrant culture and natural beauty of the host country..

Reviews for "Vinicius: The Mascot Promoting Inclusivity at the Rio Olympics 2016"

1. John Smith - 1 star

The Rio Olympics 2016 mascot was a complete disappointment. It looked like a bizarre combination of a parrot and an alien, and it did not represent the spirit or culture of Brazil at all. The design was so over-the-top and confusing that it was hard to understand what message it was trying to convey. Overall, it was a poor choice for a mascot and did not enhance the Olympics experience in any way.

2. Emily Johnson - 2 stars

I was not a fan of the Rio Olympics 2016 mascot. The bright colors and odd shape made it look more like a children's toy than a symbol for a prestigious sporting event. It lacked the elegance and sophistication that previous Olympic mascots have had. It seemed like a rushed design, with no thought put into its cultural significance. I was hoping for something more memorable and representative of the Olympic Games.

3. David Thompson - 2 stars

The Rio Olympics 2016 mascot was a letdown for me. It seemed like a half-hearted attempt at creativity, with its generic bright colors and lackluster design. It failed to capture the excitement and energy of the Olympic Games. The choice of a parrot as a mascot also felt unoriginal and unimaginative. Overall, it was a forgettable and underwhelming mascot that did not leave a lasting impression.

Vinicius: The Mascot Celebrating the Olympic Spirit in Rio 2016