The Phryges

The Phryges (singular: Phryge) are the official mascots of Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They are two anthropomorphic Phrygian caps, a symbol of France.

Origins


The Phrygian cap, a soft, generally red hat, was worn by freed slaves in Phrygia, an ancient Greek kingdom in what is now Turkey. At the time of the French Revolution, the Phrygian cap was worn as a symbol of freedom. Marianne, the national personification of France and basis of the Paris 2024 emblem, is often depicted wearing a Phrygian cap.

Naming and unveiling
On 14 November 2022, Tony Estanguet, president of the organizing committee, revealed that the Paris 2024 mascot was not an animal nor fictional creature but an object, saying that "We chose an ideal rather than an animal. We chose the Phrygian cap because it's a very strong symbol for the French Republic. For French people, it's a very well-known object that is a symbol of freedom," adding that "the fact that the Paralympics mascot has a visible disability also sends a strong message: to promote inclusion."

The new mascots were touted as "sporty, party-loving and so French."

Characteristics
Each Phryge was given a personality. The Olympic Phryge is "the smart one" with a "methodical mind and alluring charm." The Paralympic Phryge is "a party animal, spontaneous and a bit hotheaded." The Paralympic Phrygian is the first Paralympic mascot since Sondre, the mascot of the 1994 Winter Paralympics, to have a disability as she wears a prosthesis on one of her legs.

Reception
In France, criticisms have been made about most of the toy replicas of the mascot being "Made in China." Julie Matikhine, director of the Paris 2024 brand, responded that "18 percent of the stuffed toys produced by the company Doudou et Compagnie will be in Brittany," in the hope of "relocating part of the sector."

The Phryges have been likened to a giant "clitoris in trainers". The French newspaper Libération hailed it as a revolutionary departure from the traditional phallic symbol of the Eiffel Tower.