Each Paralympic Games have a mascot, often an animal native to the area or occasionally human figures representing the cultural heritage. Nowadays, most of the merchandise aimed at young people focuses on the mascots, rather than the Paralympic flag or organization logos.
Depicted as an honest, diplomatic, energetic, impatient and brave girl. As the first Paralympic mascot with disability, the design was based as friend of Mariscal, the Chilean-German artist Lorenza Böttner, like her, she has no arms, which symbolizes that she does not possess any weapons, and represents peace and harmony.
A competition was held among students to find a name for the 1998 Winter Paralympic mascot, and the designation "Parabbit" was chosen from among 3,408 different entries.
Named after the mythologic sea-god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, Proteus. From the myth also comes their name, as a feature of Proteus comes the adjective protean, with the general meaning of "versatile", "mutable", "capable of assuming many forms". "Protean" has positive connotations of flexibility, versatility and adaptability.
Represents a harmonious co-existence between mankind and nature, it represents athletes with a disability striving to make progress, and it represents the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Summer Games' concept of "Transcendence, Equality and Integration."
The chosen of the bear is relative to the mascots of the 1988 Summer Paralympics. And the Bear was also symbolic of strongness and courage. Its name is also formed from two Korean words: bandal (반달) and bi (비), meaning "half-moon" to refer to the white crescent on an Asiatic black bear's chest and the latter connoting commemoration to celebrate the games.
The Paralympic mascot was chosen from several designs submitted by schoolchildren and illustrators throughout Japan. It is still popular after the games and still appears in events today.[10]
Designed with Chinese New Year lanterns as the prototype.As the games were held during the Chinese New Year,the Lanterns represent harvest, celebration, warmth and light. The wishful shape at the top symbolizes auspicious happiness; the continuous pattern of the dove of peace and the Temple of Heaven symbolizes the peaceful friendship and highlights the characteristics of the place where the place is held; the decorative pattern incorporates the traditional Chinese paper-cut art; the snow on the face represents the meaning of "a fall of seasonable snow gives promise of a fruitful year". It also reflects the anthropomorphic design and highlights the mascot's cuteness.
An anthropomorphic Phrygian Cap based on the one Marianne wore at the time of the French Revolution. Also the first Paralympic mascot since the 1994 Winter Paralympics with an obvious disability with a prosthetic right leg. Revealed on 14 November 2022