Olympic Phryge mascot: A nod to the French revolution

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00Here in the French capital, these long queues are not to enter an Olympic games match, but

00:05instead outside the official Paris 2024 boutique, with throngs of tourists desperate to get

00:11their hands on memorabilia, with one triangular character in particular gaining interest,

00:16the 2024 mascot, the Frige.

00:19Maybe I think it would be nice to put it at home as a decoration.

00:25I like the theme, good memento of the Olympics, but definitely, I think it presents very well.

00:30Our cousin, he's disabled, so we're just looking at also the disabled mascot of the Olympics.

00:37That's very nice to see, that they have their mascot with the disabled piece on it.

00:42Seen all around Paris, adorning keychains, bottles, hats and plushies, the Frige mascot

00:47is a nod to the Frigian cap, a symbol of the French Revolution.

00:52Revived from Roman times when it was worn by slaves, both male and female revolutionaries

00:57adopted it as a testimony to their core values of freedom and emancipation.

01:02According to officials, the Frige's demand is due to its ease as a souvenir to take home.

01:07And priced around 30 euros, it doesn't break the bank either.

01:10The appeal of the mascot is because it is an easy product to buy, there is no size,

01:16there is no question of it is for men or women. We expect to get more than 100 million

01:24euros of revenue for Paris 2024 based on the sales of the merchandise and official product.

01:32Whilst the mascot was initially mocked online for its appearance likening it to Doritos

01:37and human body parts, one thing is clear, that the Olympic Frige is now going global.

Category

Transcript

Recommended