Olly, Syd, Millie and Lizzie

Olly, Syd and Millie were the official mascots of the 2000 Summer Olympics, and Lizzie was the official mascot of the 2000 Summer Paralympics, both held in Sydney, Australia.

Olly, Syd and Millie
Mascots of the 2000 Summer Olympics (Sydney)
Creator	Matthew Hattan and Jozef Szekeres
Significance	A kookaburra (Olly), a platypus (Syd) and an echidna (Millie) named after the short term for Olympics, Sydney and Millennium

Lizzie
Mascot of the 2000 Summer Paralympics (Sydney)
Creator	Matthew Hattan and Jozef Szekeres
Significance	A Frill-necked Lizard

Olly, Syd and Millie were named by Philip Sheldon from advertising agency DMBB and represented air, soil and water. Olly (from Olympics) the kookaburra represents the Olympic spirit of generosity. Syd (from Sydney) the platypus represents the environment as well as the activity and energy of Australia and their population. Millie (from Millennium) the echidna knows everything about technology and numerical data. The mascots were designed by Matthew Hattan and Jozef Szekeres.^[1][2]

The mascot for the 2000 Paralympics was Lizzie the frill-necked lizard, a native Australian animal which inhabits northern parts of the country.^[3] The shape of the character's frill represented the geographical shape of the country, and the ochre colour of Lizzie's body aimed to mirror the colour of the land. The lizard was chosen because of the animal's survival instincts and tenacity,^[4] and was intended to represent the character traits of Paralympic athletes.^[5]

Lizzie's voice was provided by Olivia Newton-John, who made appearances alongside Lizzie leading up and during the Games.^[6]

The visibility of and community engagement with Lizzie outpaced that of the other three Olympic mascots. The Australian Paralympic Committees noted the significant branding capital and realised that this could be leveraged in the future.^[7]

In 2021, Lizzie made a return as a part of the Royal Australian Mint's "Aussie Heroes" $2 coin collection and, later, a sticker pack promoted in Woolworths made for the 2020 Summer Olympics.^[8][9]

See also

• Olympics portal
• Sports portal
• Oceania portal
• Australia portal

• Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat, an unofficial mascot of the 2000 Games.
• List of Australian sporting mascots
• List of Olympic mascots
• List of Paralympic mascots

References

1. "Olympische mascottes Zomerspelen". athensinfoguide.com. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
2. "Syd, Olly and Millie – mascots of the 2000 Olympic Summer Games". Beijing2008. 5 August 2004. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
3. "A Brief History of the Olympic and Paralympic Mascots". Beijing2008. 5 August 2004. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
4. "Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games – Lizzy". International Paralympic Committee (IPC). n.d. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
5. Brittain, Ian (2012). From Stoke-Mandeville to Stratford: A History of the Summer Paralympic Games. Illinois: Common Ground.
6. "Olympic Games" (PDF). Olympic Information Center. 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
7. Legg, David; Gilbert, Keith (2011). "Chapter 8: Sydney 2000: Moving from Post-Hoc Legacy to Strategic Vision and Operational Partnerships". In Darcy, Simon; Appleby, Louis (eds.). Paralympic Legacies. Illinois: Common Ground Publishers. pp. 75–95.
8. Bassi, Isha (19 July 2021). "The Tokyo Olympics Are Starting Soon, So Here's A Reminder About What Australia's Mascots Look Like". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
9. Bali, Meghna (16 July 2021). "Woolies' new 'Aussie Heroes' sticker packs kinda have furry vibes". triple j. Retrieved 31 July 2021.

External links

Preceded by Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki Nagano 1998	Olympic mascot Olly, Syd and Millie Sydney 2000	Succeeded by Powder, Copper and Coal Salt Lake City 2002
Preceded by Parabbit Nagano 1998	Paralympic mascot Lizzie Sydney 2000	Succeeded by Otto Salt Lake City 2002