Thursday, July 23, 2020

Footix

I've been on a bit of a World Cup mascot kick lately. Last Friday, I wrote about Pique - the mascot from Mexico 1986 and then, earlier this week, I wrote about the Italy 1990 mascot, Ciao. 

After writing about those two, I thought I had finished with World Cup mascots. I didn't remember any of the other ones after 1990, but then something dawned on me.

I did remember the 1998 World Cup mascot. And there's a reason why.

France had a cockerel for its tournament. It bore a resemblance to a well-known character.

France 1998 Footix - Keyring

Woody Woodpecker, anyone?

The character was named Footix. Wikipedia states that the name was a 'portmanteau of 'football' and the ending "ix", a name suffix common among the Gauls.'

Just like with Italy's mascot from 1990, I didn't know - or may have forgotten - Footix's name until I did some research for today's post.

The above image of Footix is a keyring my mother gave me as a gift during the World Cup. It was part of a set.

Part of the set included a soft toy of Footix. You can see him from two different angles in the following pictures.

His body and side of his head.

France 1998 Footix - Toy

And here is a look from the side.

France 1998 Footix - Toy

The keyring and soft toy were extras that came with what I would consider the main part of the gift set - a limited edition Parker pen for the tournament.

The pen came in a red case. Footix appears on it alongside the France '98 logo. 

France 1998 Footix - Pen Case

Below is a picture of the pen. The top also has the France '98 logo. The body of it has Footix in numerous poses.

France 1998 Footix - Pen

And that's really it as it pertains writing about World Cup mascots. Pique, Ciao and Footix are the only ones I can remember. I have no recollection at all of the characters created for 1994, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.

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