Commonwealth Games unveil 2026 mascot: Finnie the unicorn
After Finnie, the proud Glaswegian unicorn, was unveiled as the Commonwealth Games 2026 mascot, CODE Sports took a trip down memory lane. Click to view the best of the past Games mascots.
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For a Commonwealth Games that at times appeared to be a mythical illusion that it would ever go ahead, it seems only fitting that Glasgow 2026 will have a unicorn as its official mascot next year.
Finnie, a proud Glaswegian unicorn, was unveiled at dawn on the morning of one year to go celebrations in Scotland, appearing at the top of the city’s historical Finnieston Crane landmark.
Believe it or not but the unicorn, the famous mythological creature, is actually the national animal of Scotland.
The new mascot, which was designed in collaboration with 76 school children, also features the famous traffic cone that sits on top of the Duke of Wellington statue outside Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern of Art – a nod to Glasgow’s renowned sense of humour.
With a purple mane, flashes of hot pink, sparkling star tattoos, friendship bracelet and a signature ‘love heart’ hand signal, the new mascot certainly appears more woke than Glasgow’s popular 2014 predecessor Clyde the Thistle which sold over 50,000 toys during the Games more than a decade ago.
“I’ll be at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games next summer with a grin, a wave, maybe even a wee dance. I’m here to turn the nerves into excitement, stir the cheers and help turn every moment into something magic as Glasgow 2026 swings into the city,” Finnie said in a statement.
Glasgow 2026 Chief Executive Phil Batty expects Finnie to be a great attraction for the younger Games fans.
“Finnie represents everything Glasgow 2026 is about – fun, friendliness and of course that little bit of magic,” Batty said.
“She’ll be at the heart of everything that’s exciting about these Games, from building up the crowd to hyping the athletes.
“It means so much that she comes from the imaginations of Glasgow’s young people. They have all been fantastic throughout this process and introducing Finnie to the world is the perfect way to start the countdown to these altogether brilliant Games.”
Mascots is a popular quirk of both Commonwealth and Olympic Games events, with some characters remaining connected to sporting teams and others quickly disappearing.
Borobi, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games mascot, is still seen on parts of the Gold Coast and may yet rear his koala head at the 2032 Olympic Games.
Whereas Melbourne’s 2006 Commonwealth Games mascot “Karak” the red-tailed cockatoo didn’t even survive long enough to feature in the Games itself, Karak became extinct almost as quickly as Melbourne’s 2026 aborted Games that almost killed the sporting event entirely.
Perry the bull was the star of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games while India’s Shera tiger was another popular choice for the 2010 Delhi Games.
And sometimes, it’s not even the official mascot who steals the show of public adoration. While Sydney 2000 Olympics had “Olly” the Kookaburra, “Syd” the Platypus and “Millie” the Echidna, most Australians only recall Roy and HG’s comical Fatso the fat-arsed Wombat as the most beloved character of any Games.
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Originally published as Commonwealth Games unveil 2026 mascot: Finnie the unicorn
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