Schuss

Schuss ([ʃʊs], primarily German for 'shot', but also the same as the English noun 'schuss', i.e. a high speed ski run directly down a slope) was the unofficial Olympic mascot of the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, a one-legged humanoid skier with a large red and white head. Schuss is often considered the first Olympic mascot, and appeared on pins, small toys, and cardboard cutouts. Every subsequent Olympic Games has featured a mascot excluding the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, which only had an unofficial mascot, Takuchan.

In alpine skiing, a Schuss is German for a straight downhill run at high speed, similar as the noun schuss in English.

Schuss was designed by Aline Lafargue, a Paris film animator known for creating the children's program Le Petit Lion. She was informed of the contest with less than a day before the deadline, and had only one night to prepare her submission. There were no guidelines, and the only comparable reference was Willie, mascot of the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. After considering a St. Bernard dog, lizard, chamois, and a snowman, Lafargue settled on the abstract character, and was selected the following day as the winner. Schuss was painted in the colors of France: blue, red and, white.

An initial mascot design was Dof, the skiing dolphin.