88올림픽 마스코트 ‘호돌이’의 도상학

Abstract

‘Hodori’ the name of baby tiger was designed as 88 Seoul Olympic mascot with three Taegeuk emblem and formal poster in the end of 1983. The object selection, design process and naming were open to public participation and designated competitions to promote Seoul Olympic Games widely. Hodori was the first Korean olympic symbol and the first commercial character product. Tiger as a national icon originated from a theory that the Korean peninsula looks like a tiger, the king of animal. The theory was argued by Choi Namsun’ enlightenment magazine young man(少年) against Japanese geologist’s rabbit shape theory in 1908. Hodori was designed and promoted as a kind of nation identity of corporate Korea that debuted on the stage of international sports politics and entered the world marketplace. Many designers regarded Olympic as momentum of developing condition and competence of Korean design’s realm. Design Experts Committee founded in Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee supervised and directed every design for olympic such as symbols, environmental decorations, pictogram, typeface, posters, uniforms, etc. Hodori was a cute, intimate and open-minded character and a symbol of open-door economical policy of military government. Hodori was made as various olympic souvenirs and 140 corporates bought the right to use emblem and mascot as official supporters or sponsors. Hodori ran through so many campaigns promoted by military government to mobilize people and to suppress against civil demonstration for democracy. On the other hands, Hodori was satirized and sneered as unjust force or dictator’s pet. Arts criticized the olympic while enjoyed and made a profit from it. This contradictory dynamism was a potential possibility of 1980’s Korean society.