Sochi Cute

Of course every modern Olympics needs a cute and cuddly mascot, though some are much better than others (anyone remember the Whatsit from the Atlanta games?), and online contests are a popular way of selecting things in the Internet age, so the organizers of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games have invited the public to select their choice for the official mascot of the Games with a site dedicated just to the selection competition. The industrious folks in Sochi are providing mascot fans with eleven choices for the cartoon face of the Sochi Games.  My personal favorite is the Dolphin, since of course when you think Winter Olympics you naturally think of dolphins; it's worth noting here that Sochi is on the Black Sea, enjoys a temperate climate and was once part of the “Soviet Riviera” during the days of the CCCP, so for Sochi the dolphin isn't out of place. My prediction for the eventual winner though are the Matryoshka dolls (the famed Russian wood-carved figurines that nest one inside the next) since there seems to be such a huge range of marketing opportunities with them.

And while the Games are in Russia, the mascot vote is open to people around the world.