Schneemann and Sonnenweiberl

Schneemann and Sonnenweiberl
Mascots of the 1976 Winter Olympics (Innsbruck)
Creator	Walter Pötsch Bill Tobin
Significance	A Tyrolean snowman A sun woman

Schneemann ([ˈʃneːˌman], "snowman" in German), also known as Schneemandl,[1] was the official mascot of the 1976 Winter Olympics, which were held in Innsbruck, Austria in February 1976. It was the first official Winter Olympic mascot. There was also a secondary mascot, Sonnenweiberl ("sun woman" in Austrian dialect).[1][2]

Schneemann was a Tyrolean snowman created by Walter Pötsch, and represents the Games of Simplicity. It wore a Tyrolean hat which is a typical hat worn in the region of Innsbruck.[3] The public's opinion of this was somewhat divided, but its financial success was indisputable.[4] Schneemann was also considered a lucky charm. At the 1964 Games in Innsbruck, the lack of snow remained ingrained in the memory, and the organisers feared a similar scenario for 1976. But the 1976 Winter Games had plenty of snow.[3]

Sonnenweiberl and Schneemann were married in a ceremony on February 22, 1976, on Innsbruck's Goldenes Dachl.[5] The two mascots released the 1976 Winter Olympic song "Schneeplattler", which was distributed throughout the German-speaking world.[6]

References

1. "Innsbruck 1976 – Mascot Schneemandl". TheOlympicDesign. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
2. "Olympic Museum-Innsbruck 1976, Sonnenweiberl, the female counterpart of Schneemandl, the Games' mascot". Musée Olympique. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
3. "Olympic Winter Games Mascots from Innsbruck 1976 to Sochi 2014" (PDF). Olympic.org. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
4. "Final Report of the 1976 Winter Olympics" (PDF). Olympic.org. p. 188. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
5. "Olympische Jugend in Innsbruck" (PDF). Innsbruck Informiert. January 2012. p. 59. Retrieved 2024-08-20. 1975 kam an die Seite des Schneemandls das „Sonnenweiberl". Leider ist diese Figur etwas in Vergessenheit geraten, obwohl die beiden am 22. Februar 1976 offiziell im „Goldenen Dachl" in Innsbruck heirateten.
6. Indrist, Waltraud P. (2020-06-18). "Widerstand und wandel über die 1970er jahre in Tirol". aut. architektur und tirol. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-10-05. Die singenden Maskottchen, hinter denen eine nichtgennante Studioband steckte, veröffentlichten mit dem "Schneeplattler" den Olympiasong 1976, der im gesamten deutschsprachigen Raum vertrieben wurde.

Preceded by Waldi

Olympic mascot Schneemann and Sonnenweiberl Innsbruck 1976

Succeeded by Amik