Hidy and Howdy

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Hidy and Howdy
Mascots of the 1988 Winter Olympics (Calgary)
SignificanceTwin polar bears wearing western/cowboy style outfits named after the country way for saying "greetings"
Olympic rings
Part of a series on
1988 Winter Olympics
Hidy (left) and Howdy (right) in costume.

Hidy and Howdy were a pair of anthropomorphic polar bear siblings who wore cowboy hats and were the official mascots of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Olympic officials describe the polar bears as "lovable, huggable, and truly Canadian", and they were well-liked by locals for many years after the Olympics.[1] Students of Bishop Carroll High School served as performers during Hidy and Howdy's four years. After the Closing Ceremonies, they retired from public life, reappearing only once to film a cameo appearance in the 1993 movie Cool Runnings, which is based on the Calgary Olympics.

History

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Sometimes called the "Welcome Bears", they were designed by Calgary artist Sheila Scott for $34,000. Their first public appearance was in 1984, when they traveled to Sarajevo, site of the previous Olympic Games.[2]

From the bears' introduction in 1964 until 1988, when regular bear operations ended, 22 sets of Hidy and Howdy costumes were stored in a southwest Calgary office space known as the "Bear Cave". They were operated by volunteers, many of whom (85 of the 145 total volunteers) were students or recent graduates of Bishop Carroll High School. The costumes in good condition were sent to the International Olympic Committee museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, or the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. Others were "retired".[3]

In Greece, a Howdy costume had its entire front ripped open by excited children.[4] Hidy’s head was once punched off by an intoxicated person in Vancouver.[5]15 “barkeepers” worked in daily shifts to repair and clean the costumes, which absorbed large amounts of sweat and smells, like pancake breakfast scents and cigarettes.[6]

The mascot division of Alberta's Olympic Committee was led by Lane Kranenburg, a former police officer who led a beer trucking company. At one point, the mascot team had 140 people. In 1987, Kranenburg traveled with the costumed bears to Greece to receive the Olympic flame, then traveled around Canada for 88 days prior to the 1988 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. "The most successful Olympic mascots ever, winter or summer."[7]

The Calgary Zoo sponsored a contest to determine the names of the bears. Kim Johnstone, age 21, beat nearly 7000 entries with her response of "Hidy and Howdy", an idea she got after watching the Stampede rodeo on TV. She beat another person who submitted the same names because she also wrote "The Welcome Bears" after her entry. Johnstone won tickets to the opening ceremony to witness Hide and Howdy’s debut, as well as $200 and T-shirts.[8]

In 2000, one of the "Welcome to Calgary" signs (near Canada Olympic Park on Barlow Trail and 16th Avenue) featuring the bears was removed, prompting backlash from Albertans including Premier Ralph Klein, who had been mayor during the Olympics.[9] Further controversy erupted in 2007 when Calgary's city council approved a request from transportation officials to replace the remaining "Welcome to Calvary" signs that featured Hidy and Howdy images, instead using signs with the

Hidy and Howdy were also featured on various "Welcome To Calgary" signs located throughout the city of Calgary, but in 2008 the local government had the signs removed and "respectfully transported" to Canada Olympic Park, replacing them with new signs that had a "Heart of the New West" logo in place of the bear image.[10][7] Kranenburg said, "It went from a very friendly welcome to a very unfriendly sign."[11]

When asked about the three mascots chosen for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Kranenburg questioned the choice, saying "I think people are going to have trouble identifying with them. In my opinion, thieve gotten very convoluted."[12]

Gladys Serifino, curator of the Olympic Hall of Fame and museum, said "some of the mascots from other Olympics have been pretty awful, and ours were really great."[11] Former Canadian Football League commissioner Doug Mitchell protested the removal, saying "I don’t really agree with living in the past, bu this is such a great legacy."[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Hidy and Howdy serve as lesson to 2010 mascots". Calgary Herald. 2007-11-28. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  2. ^ a b "Hidy and Howdy still crowd favorite". Calgary Herald. 2008-01-07. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  3. ^ "Bears sigh with relief". Calgary Herald. 1988-02-27. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  4. ^ "Bears sigh with relief". Calgary Herald. 1988-02-27. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  5. ^ "Mascots: An awful shame". Calgary Herald. 2000-09-21. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  6. ^ "Hidy, Howdy are hibernating". Calgary Herald. 1988-02-27. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  7. ^ a b "Hidy and Howdy hit the road". Canada.com. 2007-05-09. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  8. ^ "Pride follows names for Games". Calgary Herald. 1988-02-09. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  9. ^ "Hidy, Howdy wave goodbye". Calgary Herald. 2000-09-21. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  10. ^ "Hidy and Howdy are on their way out". Calgary Herald. 2007-04-19. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  11. ^ a b "Hidy, Howdy are hibernating". Calgary Herald. 1988-02-27. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  12. ^ "Hidy and Howdy serve as lesson to 2010 mascots". Calgary Herald. 2007-11-28. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
Preceded by Olympic mascot
Hidy and Howdy
Alberta 1988 		Succeeded by
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