Mascots Unveiled

Olympic officials applaud as the five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are unveiled in Beijing's Workers' Stadium Friday, Nov. 11, 2005. The mascots, known as the "five friendlies," are cartoon renditions of a panda, fish, Tibetan antelope, swallow and the Olympic flame, each one the color of one of the Olympic rings.

The five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are unveiled in Beijing's Workers' Stadium Friday, Nov. 11, 2005. The announcement of the "five friendlies" mascots at an elaborate, nationally televised gala opens a marketing blitz that is expected to reap record profits from sales of licensed Olympic products.

The "five friendlies" mascots for the 2005 Beijing Olympic games were introduced on Nov. 11, 2005, as Bei Bei (fish), Jing Jing (panda), Huan Huan (Olympic flame), Ying Ying (antelope) and Ni Ni (swallow). Put together, that translates to "Beijing welcomes you!" There are more mascots for the Beijing Games than for any Olympics in more than 30 years.

Performers celebrate during a ceremony to unveil the mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing's Workers' Stadium Friday Nov. 11, 2005.

Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan, center, poses with the five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after they were unveiled in Beijing's Workers' Stadium Friday Nov. 11, 2005. In a nationally televised gala to mark the 1,000-day countdown until the Games, senior Chinese leaders introduced the mascots known as the "five friendlies."

The five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games pose on stage after they were introduced for the first time in Beijing's Workers' Stadium Friday, Nov. 11, 2005. Known as the "five friendlies," the mascots are cartoon renditions of a panda, fish, Tibetan antelope, swallow and the Olympic flame, each one the color of one of the Olympic rings.

Dancers pose with two of the mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after they were unveiled in Beijing's Workers' Stadium Friday, Nov. 11, 2005. The mascots were introduced in an elaborate, nationally televised gala at the arena to mark the 1,000-day countdown until the Games.

A nationally televised gala at Beijing's Workers' Stadium on Nov. 11, 2005 marks the 1,000-day countdown until the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Senior Chinese leaders introduced the mascots, cartoon renditions of a panda, fish, Tibetan antelope, swallow and the Olympic flame, each one the color of one of the Olympic rings.

A young girl dances with one of the mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games at an unveiling ceremony in Beijing's Workers' Stadium, Friday Nov. 11, 2005.

Characters called "friendlies" are displayed during a ceremony to unveil the Beijing 2008 Olympic mascots on Nov. 11, 2005, in Beijing. Beijing Olympic organizers chose five mascots for the 2008 Olympics representing a panda, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow, a fish and the spirit of the Olympic flame. The ceremony also marked the 1,000-day countdown to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Girls dance with the mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games at an unveiling ceremony in Beijing on Nov. 11, 2005. Stars and VIPs attended the extravaganza to announce the five different mascots as the capital marked the 1,000-day countdown to the starts of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Huan Huan, representing the Olympic flame, is one of five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The mascots, called "friendlies," were introduced to the public for the first time on Nov. 11, 2005, in Beijing.