The mascots of the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Wenlock and Mandeville, are two one-eyed cartoon mascots with a modern metallic look. Their big eyes are camera lenses, the yellow lights on their heads represent the iconic London cabs and they also wear around the wrists five bracelets in the colors of the Olympic rings that symbolize friendship.

It is said that these two mascots were designed for children, so some children and parents were also involved in the designing process. Children’s writer Michael Morpurgo wrote a short story about their origin: when workers were making steel for the Olympic venues in the factory, two small pools of molten steel fell to the ground the moment the steel water was discharged. Later, a retired worker picked up the two cooled-down steel blocks and carved them into two figures with big eyes. That’s how the mascots were created.