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The 24th Olympic Games were held in Seoul and other major cities in Korea, from September 17, 1988 to October 2, 1988, with the basic idea of “Harmony and Progress,” with over 13,000 athletes and officials from 160 countries participating in the event. The emblem of the Seoul Olympics used a “samtaegeuk” design, which is a traditional Korean pattern, and the Olympic mascot was a Korean tiger named “Hodori.”
Hodori, the official mascot of the 24th Olympic Games in Seoul, was designed by Kim Hyeon. The mascot wore a medal with Olympic rings around its neck to identify itself as the Olympic mascot, along with a traditional hat worn for a farmers’ performance called “Sangmo” to show the continued Korean tradition. With designs featuring the official sports, including athletics and football, and demonstration sports, such as badminton and bowling, a total of 28 kinds of Hodori mascot were produced, along with 9 auxiliary types and 19 pictographic types.
In characterizing the tiger, which has a significant symbolic connection to Korea, in the form of an amicable and friendly figure, Hodori was praised for its excellent portrayal of Korean beauty, especially through the hat's spiraling streamer, which formed an S-shape to denote the first letter of Seoul. Besides the Olympic Games, the mascot design was widely applied to various necessities, such as stationery items, food and drinks. |
