Father and Son Bond Over Building a Collection of Olympic and Paralympic Mascots and Memorabilia

For one dedicated fan, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are more than a quadrennial spectacle—they are the chapters of a lifelong story told through plush mascots, enamel pins, and decades of keepsakes. Spanning 13 Olympic Games, the collection began as a personal passion and has since evolved into a father-son tradition that bridges generations.

From the first stuffed mascot tucked into a suitcase to the latest pin traded in the host-city streets, each item marks a specific moment in time: the buzz of the crowd, the roar of victory, the shared silence of a close finish. Over the years, the duo has scoured arenas, pop-up shops, and collector fairs, amassing an archive that traces not only the evolution of Games branding but also their own changing lives.

Plush toys line the shelves in chronological order, their felt eyes reflecting past host cultures, while pin boards display tiny metal snapshots of everything from 1980s Moscow to recent summer and winter editions. Together, father and son catalog new acquisitions, research design backstories, and carefully preserve items to prevent fading or fraying. The ritual, they say, deepens their appreciation for the Games and for each other.

What started as a single souvenir has become a tactile timeline—one that mirrors global shifts in art, technology, and inclusivity through the playful faces of Olympic and Paralympic mascots. For them, the collection is not just memorabilia; it is memory made tangible, passed from one generation to the next with every stitch and pin.