An exciting Winter Olympic mascot design activity was held at the Beijing Olympic Museum on the morning of August 19. This activity is part of the education program series of the 2026 “Olympic Citiy Cup” National Children’s Art Exhibition. Twelve publicly recruited families stepped into the role of mascot designers, immersing themselves in the culture of the dual Olympic city and experiencing the joy of cartoon character design in the rich artistic atmosphere of the exhibition.

This activity seamlessly integrated Olympic education, career exploration, and creative art practice, guiding children to infuse the spirit of winter sports into their character designs. Instructors led children in appreciating classic Olympic mascots such as Fuwa, Bing Dwen Dwen, and Shuey Rhon Rhon, and explained the cultural symbolism carried by these mascots in major sporting events. They also introduced various winter sports and unpacked the core values they represent—speed, strength, courage, and wisdom, enriching the young participants’ imagination and creativity. During the mascot designer career experience session, instructors walked the children through the design workflow, guiding them to consider how to select animal prototypes, how to translate abstract sportsmanship into visible features, patterns, and postures, and how to bring their characters to life with names, hobbies, and backstories.

In the highly anticipated creative practice session, children created original Winter Olympic mascots following a four-step design process: selecting an animal prototype with winter sports in mind, defining key personality traits, refining facial features, body shapes, and iconic symbols, and crafting a character backstory. The children were guided to weave the personalities of animals and the Winter Olympics theme into their character designs, with final works presented in postcard format. These handmade mascot postcards not only reflect their artistic creativity but also serve as meaningful keepsakes worthy of collection.

Kids design mascot characters

One young participant remarked that this activity was not just about drawing, but also offered them a holistic understanding of the design thinking behind an Olympic mascot. Parents noted that conducting aesthetic education at the Beijing Olympic Museum allowed children to see, learn about, and find inspiration from Olympic culture, achieving the goals of nourishing the heart through art and educating through sports.

Themed “Art Nourishes the Heart, Youth Pursues the Light,” the 2026 “Olympic City Cup” National Children’s Art Exhibition brings together 300 outstanding artworks by children and youths from 19 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government. As part of the exhibition’s education program series, this activity is designed to leverage the Beijing Olympic Museum’s social education platform to connect children with Olympic history, express their understanding of sports through art, and further promote the Olympic spirit and spread the culture of the dual Olympic city. The exhibition will run until August 31