Waldi, the Dog

Waldi, the DogWaldi was the official logo of the 1972 Olympic Games. It was the first ever Olympic mascot.

The 1972 Summer Olympics was held in Munich and the popular German breed of Dachshund was chosen because this breed possesses attributes which are essential to being a successful athlete - agility, tenacity and resisistance.

The designer of Waldi was Otl Aicher and the mascot was modelled on a real live long-haired dachshund named Cherie von Birkenhof. The logo's head and tail were blue and the body was vertically striped displaying the other Olympic colours.

Our ‘Waldi’ is not in any way similar to his namesake.  However, if you are searching for a sweet little puppy-dog with the cutest face imaginable, you’ve found him!

Toys That Teach A great part of Hansa's mission is to educate children and adults alike about the world's animals and so, as well as being very close plush recreations of the original, every Hansa toy comes with a 'Toys That Teach' tag, which describes each animal's:

- Habitat
- Lifestyle
- Gestation period
- Care of young
- Eating habits

So you not only get a wonderful soft toy but also an understanding of the animal and its behaviour in its very own kingdom.