The Summer Olympics is an event that brings together athletes from all over the globe to compete against one another and share in camaraderie and sportsmanship.  It's also an opportunity for a committee to get together to create a marketable mascot, a character that embodies all of the qualities of the host country, and also something to slap on t-shirts and pins.  The history of these mascots dates back to Los Angeles in 1932, and over the years there have been good mascots, great mascots, and ones that are maybe best forgotten.