Sam (Olympic mascot)

Sam the Olympic Eagle was the mascot of the 1984 Summer Olympics which were held in Los Angeles. He was a bald eagle, which is the national bird of the United States, where the games were held. He also shares the name of Uncle Sam, another American symbol. Sam was designed by C. Robert Moore, an artist for Disney. This character is sometimes confused for "Eagle Sam", host of the former Disneyland attraction America Sings, and designed by animator Marc Davis circa 1973, or Sam the Eagle from "The Muppet Show". However, he is known as Eagle Sam in Japan, where an animated series of the same name ran in the year preceding the Summer Olympics.

Even after the conclusion of the Games, Sam the Eagle is still used to promote a track and field event, the Mt. SAC Relays at Mt. San Antonio College, specifically its "LA84 Youth Days" promotion for youth interested in athletics, run by a charitable group founded during the Olympics.

External links

* [http://olympic-museum.de/mascot/mascot1984.htm A brief summary with samples, describing the development of Sam]
* [http://lambiek.net/artists/m/moore_bob.htm A brief biography of Bob Moore, Sam's character designer]
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/passion/collectors/object/index_uk.asp?ObjId=48 Olympic references and merchandise further identifying the origin of Sam]