Commemorative Olympic Pin: 1988 Calgary Hockey Bear

The polar bears Hidy and Howdy were the mascots of the 1988 Calgary Winter Games. Their names were reminiscent of friendly greetings and their Cowhand clothing was based on typical Western wear popular in Alberta, the province hosting the games (Calgary, host of an annual rodeo called the Calgary Stampede, historically has a Western feel). The use of polar bears represented Canada as a whole, since the country is home to two-thirds of the world's polar bear population. The mascot embodied the hospitable nature of Calgary which was a largely volunteer run event. This circular pin has Howdy in ice hockey goalie attire.

The collecting and sharing of Olympic Pins have been a staple of the modern games since their inception in 1896. The souvenirs are highly sought after by both athletes, who collect and trade inside the village, and spectators who buy pins from official and fan run stores. Sponsors of the games often mass produce pins for anyone to collect as memories of the games. Coca-Cola, for example, produced multiple full pin sets for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Some of the unofficial mascots were also creations of companies, such as the 1972 Sapporo games and their mascot, Takuchan, created by the Seiko watch company as a bear on skis wearing a wristwatch. Pins are a small part of the overall marketing for the modern games, which now encapsulates a large merchandising operation involving overseas mass production of Olympic memorabilia.

“Calgary 1988 Olympic Mascots - Photos and History.” Olympics, 2021.
https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/calgary-1988/mascot.

Ferguson, Eva. “A City Transformed; Olympic Games Changed This City by Putting It on the World Stage.” Calgary Herald. February 8, 2013, sec. 2. https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/city-transformed-olympic-games-changed-this/docview/1285311261/se-2?accountid=14553.

Osterwalder, Markus. “Calgary 1988 – Mascots Hidy & Houdy.” theolympicdesign. Accessed March 12, 2025. https://www.theolympicdesign.com/olympic-games/mascots/calgary-1988/.

“Polar Bear.” Nature Conservancy Canada. Accessed March 12, 2025.
https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-species/mammals/polar-bear.html.

“The White Hat Archives.” Smithbilt Hats Inc. Accessed March 12, 2025.
https://smithbilthats.com/product-category/the-white-hat/.

Osterwalder, Markus. “Sapporo 1972 – Takuchan (Unofficial Mascot).” theolympicdesign, 2023. https://www.theolympicdesign.com/olympic-games/mascots/sapporo-1972/.

Surbano, Eric E. “The History behind the Tradition of Olympic Pin Trading.” Prestige, August 8, 2024. https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/lifestyle/culture-plus-entertainment/olympic-pins-paris-2024-trading-collecting/.

Whelliston, Kyle. “Swifter Higher: Meet the Mascots: Waldi (Munich 1972).” Swifter, Higher, July 8, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20100308075540/http://swifterhigher.com/2008/07/meet-the-mascots-waldi-munich.php.