On Monday, organizers for the event unveiled the mascots for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games: A cat and a tree.
Well OK, it’s not actually a cat and a tree.
The cat-like animal, which will serve as the official mascot of the Olympic games, is a mixture of all the Brazilian animals, and according to its bio, it was born out of an explosion of joy when Rio was awarded the games in 2009. Also, it has special powers:
Like the Olympic mascot, the Paralympic representation is a fusion of all the different plants in Brazil. Apparently, this artichoke-looking mascot enjoys music and dancing.
Neither mascot has an official name, but the organizing committee is allowing fans to vote. The three choices are “OBA and EBA,” “TIBA TUQUE and ESQUINDIM,” and “VINICIUS and TOM”
Sadly, “MR. WHISKERS and ARTICHOKE HEAD” did not make the final cut.
