The Raccoons and the Canadian Junior Olympics: Memories from the 90s
- Kevin Gillis
- Feb 5
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 26
The Raccoons and the Canadian Junior Olympics
Hi Everyone,
We are on the eve of another exciting Winter Olympics, and I happened to come across some original art from a few years ago when The Raccoons – in particular, Bert and Lisa Raccoon, became for a time the official mascots for The Canadian Olympic Association’s (COA) Junior Olympics Program.
Sharing Olympic Values with Young Canadians
We enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the COA as we reached out to young kids all across Canada. We shared amazing stories of young athletes through school newsletters, created fun collectibles, and made in-person school visits, advancing the ideals of the Canadian Olympic mission; these included promoting sport, fostering physical, social, and moral development, and achieving excellence.
How Olympic Principles Shaped The Raccoons Series
We also built many of the Canadian Olympic principles and themes into The Raccoons television series, which went on to become one of the highest rated animated television series of all time.
The Canadian Olympic Association eventually became the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) with the objective to transform Canada through the power of sport by leading Team Canada’s podium success, advancing Olympic values, and promoting a safe, inclusive, and sustainable sport system.
I have followed the inspirational work of the COC for years and especially how it has developed its key Olympic Values:
Excellence: Giving one's best on the field of play and in life, striving for personal goals rather than just winning.
Friendship: Utilizing sport as a tool for mutual understanding, peace, and solidarity among people, overcoming cultural or political differences.
Respect: Demonstrating respect for oneself, one's body, others, rules, fair play, and the environment.
Olympic Values That Still Define The Raccoons
It has not been lost on me that many of the values that we built into our characters and stories have remained aligned with the same key ideals that our Canadian Olympic Committee promotes and upholds, especially the core character traits of respect, friendship, embracing different cultures and care for the environment.
As we anxiously await the opening ceremonies and the excitement of the ensuing games, I thought you might like to see some of the original art that was created to launch Bert and Lisa Raccoon as the original mascots for The Canadian Junior Olympics.
Original Artwork from a Special Chapter in Raccoons History
Looking Ahead to the Winter Olympics
We have recently relaunched a whole new global fan experience, but I am especially proud of that very special time in the history of The Raccoons.
I wish our incredible Canadian Olympic Team the best of luck! Thank you for your hard work and for representing all Canadians! You are special to us all! Best wishes,
Kevin
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These images look very nice, though unlike other images that have been shared on the blog, it doesn't seem like we can view them larger, the expand button is missing.