Meet SuperVictor.
He’s the new European Championship mascot.
The votes have been counted and you have named the #EURO2016 mascot @supervictor! pic.twitter.com/RZiC3CjhQR
— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) November 30, 2014
With any luck, you’ll love the sight of him come 2016 on your way to France with the Green Army.
He’s just a kid with a football. And a cape. Probably a nice little meaning in there somewhere of a young lad looking up and dreaming of being his country’s next hero. The next superhero. Cute enough but safe enough too.
SuperVictor? What about AverageVictor?
Rating: 5/10
We’ve seen some mascot stinkers down through the years and this, in fairness, definitely isn’t one of them (we think that’s the vibe the French were going for with this anyway). And now we’ve got mascot fever, we went ahead and took a look back at some of the best and worst throughout the years.
Benelucky
(Netherlands-Belgium Euro 2000)
La mascotte officielle de la compétition sera lancée en septembre 2014. Vous vous souvenez de Benelucky en 2000 ? pic.twitter.com/zNbJsT3wIh — Euro 2016 (@Euro2O16_) July 2, 2014
Truth be told, we like Benelucky. He was a cool little dude, always happy, with a smile on his face and combined the Dutch and Belgian flags brilliantly across his funky hair. You could do a lot worse than Benelucky.
Rating: 6/10
Rally Monkey
(Anaheim Angels)
In 2000, Anaheim’s baseball team were losing to the San Francisco Giants when a clip of a little monkey from Ace Ventura flashed on the big screen with the words ‘Rally Monkey’. The Angels rallied in the ninth inning to win so, of course, it must have been the monkey’s doing. They actually hired their own monkey then to record video clips and he is now their ‘late innings mascot’.
Rating: 7/10
Rocky
(Denver Nuggets)
This guy is just one cool dude. Struts around like he owns the NBA and has found fame for trick shots and acrobatic moves. And he’s called Rocky so he gets plus points from us (he’s obviously named after the film, not the mountains).
Rating: 7/10
Juanito
(Mexico World Cup 1970)
Wow. Check out “Juanito,” the 1970 FIFA World Cup mascot: pic.twitter.com/nP2HpKV1Bv
— Lauren Silverman (@lsilverwoman) June 13, 2014
Fair to say the Mexicans don’t think too highly of themselves with Juanito, the ideal they thought up on a blank canvas to be the face of their people for the entire world to see. The mascot was just a ‘don’t expect much here’ warning, but the way Juanito proudly lets his belly hang out makes him the every man. We can all relate to this boy. Rating: 8/10
Wild Wing
(Anaheim Ducks)
Quack, quack, quack… Wild Wing is a duck, a duck with attitude. Inspired by the Mighty Ducks, the Anaheim mascot is an NHL legend. Not just for how he commands the ice or how he famously tries anything to get his fans going, but what about the time he got his skate stuck in a trampoline and caught fire?
Rating: 8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNIfPDy1aBw
Go Gorilla
(Phoenix Suns)
We know what you’re thinking: it’s just a gorilla in a shirt. But Go Gorilla is so much more. Go Gorilla revolutionised the face of mascot-ry. He changed mascot-ing as we know it as the pioneer of flying slam dunks, aerial jumps and the lavish artistry of what a mascot is today. He started it all. We really do owe him a lot.
Rating: 9/10
Pique
(Mexico World Cup 1986)
Pique is the best sports mascot ever in the history of all sports. #HANDSDOWN pic.twitter.com/0NNfJB1hk8 — La Prin ♔ (@La_Prin) August 7, 2014
If you want a mascot, get Mexico on the phone. Pique is simply brilliant. A jalepeno pepper, a moustache and a sombrero? What more could you possibly want? He took Movember to a whole new level entirely.
Rating: 10/10
World Cup Willie
(England World Cup 1966)
En la VII Copa Mundial de Fútbol de Inglaterra, por primera vez, apareció una mascota: World Cup Willie, un león. pic.twitter.com/cc74e9JNXP — MEMORABLE (@EsMemorable) July 7, 2014
Alright, this is… alright. Almost 50 years ago now (and we’re still hearing about it) so this wasn’t a bad effort. Simple enough, one of the three lions kicking a football. Basic. Fine.
Rating: 5/10
Goaliath
(England Euro 1996)
@The_Omelette Crap Euro96 Mascot Goaliath #PlayerAsBets pic.twitter.com/xaQuVQ4JYF — Live Casino (@LiveCasinocouk) January 29, 2014
What’s not fine is that, in 30 years, England somehow went from World Cup Willie to this. THIS. What the hell is this? He’s a lion – a less cool lion – in a T-shirt and trousers. Absolutely pitiful.
Rating: 2/10
Ato, Kaz and Nik
(South Korea and Japan World Cup 2002)
These guys look like the Teletubbies found Guinness as the Irish invaded Saipan. Either that or the Toy Story aliens obsessed with The Claw. Bit weird.
Rating: 4/10
Slavek and Slavko
(Poland and Ukraine Euro 2012)
It’s just Jedward in a Poland and Ukraine shirt.
Rating: 2/10
Ciao
(Italy World Cup 1990)
Ciao is a stick man. He’s a stick man with his head hanging off. And his head is a football. Ciao is bloody bizarre. Want to know what’s even more bizarre? This absolutely mental promo video for the competition with Ciao dancing around in the craziest of settings. Really, watch this and try to feel like you’ve not gone crazy.
Rating: 1/10
Special mention to the USA 94 mascot. (And hat-tip to USA Soccer Guy for reminding us of this effort)
@SportsJOEdotie pic.twitter.com/M6mIrj30lf
— Soccer Guy (@usasoccerguy) November 30, 2014
