Olly, Syd and Millie were the official mascots of the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

, and Lizzie was the official mascot of the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

, both held in Sydney, Australia. Olly, Syd and Millie were named by Philip Sheldon from advertising agency DMBB and represented air, soil and water. Olly (from Olympics) the

kookaburra Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...

represents the Olympic spirit of generosity. Syd (from Sydney) the

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or mono ...

represents the environment as well as the activity and energy of Australia and their population. Millie (from

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

) the

echidna Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae . The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the ...

knows everything about technology and numerical data. The mascots were designed by Matthew Hattan and

Jozef Szekeres Jozef Szekeres (born 4 July 1970) is an Australian artist, animator, writer, Designer, toy designer, sculptor, creative director and arts lecturer, and a director of the Black Mermaid Productions creative team based in Australia. He is best known ...

. The mascot for the 2000 Paralympics was Lizzie the

frill-necked lizard The frilled lizard (''Chlamydosaurus kingii''), also known as the frill-necked lizard or frilled dragon, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. This species is the only member o ...

, a native Australian animal which inhabits northern parts of the country. The shape of the character's frill represented the geographical shape of the country, and the ochre colour of Lizzie's body aimed to mirror the colour of the land. The lizard was chosen because of the animal's survival instincts and tenacity, and was intended to represent the character traits of Paralympic athletes. Lizzie's voice was provided by

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

, who made appearances alongside Lizzie leading up and during the Games. The visibility of and community engagement with Lizzie outpaced that of the other three Olympic mascots. The Australian Paralympic Committees noted the significant branding capital and realised that this could be leveraged in the future. In 2021, Lizzie made a return as a part of the

Royal Australian Mint The Royal Australian Mint is the sole producer of all of Australia's circulating coins and is a Commonwealth Government entity operating within the portfolio of the Treasury. The Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberr ...

's "Aussie Heroes" $2 coin collection and, later, a sticker pack promoted in Woolworths made for the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

References

External links

2000 Summer Olympics 2000 Summer Paralympics Mascots introduced in 2000 Paralympic mascots Australian mascots Fictional monotremes Fictional birds Fictional lizards Lizard mascots Australian culture Animal mascots Fictional people from New South Wales {{mascot-stub

See also

References

External links