Last February, I turned 29. On the day I went out for my birthday dinner, my mind was mostly occupied with thoughts of LOST,
as the final season of my favorite TV series had begun the week before
and I was busy trying to find ways to use that as a springboard for my
own creativity. However, when we got home, we turned on the television
to find the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics occurring,
and I quickly got caught up in the excitement of this international
event. While I’ve never been too attuned to sporting events in general, I
love the spirit of intercultural communication and unity that pervades
the Olympics. Yes, it’s a competition, but it’s also a time when it’s
easy to feel a sense of kinship with people around the world as millions
of eyes focus upon the same displays of athletic prowess. The world
always feels a little smaller when I watch the Olympics.
The
next day, a package arrived from my friend Cynthia, who lives in
Toronto. I don’t recall discussing the impending Olympics with her ahead
of time, but I opened the box to find it full of official gear. Because
they were held in Vancouver, the Olympics were a matter of national
pride throughout Canada, and I appreciated Cynthia’s thoughtfulness in
making me feel more fully a part of the festivities. For the rest of the
winter, I could often be seen wearing an ice-blue scarf and matching
hat with flaps that cozily covered my ears, both bearing the emblem of
the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Along with these practical items, I also
got a plush Quatchi, the irresistible mascot of the 2010 games.
Quatchi
is meant to be a Sasquatch, though he doesn’t look much like a
traditional Bigfoot to me, at least the one I have. He’s a cuddly little
butterball, almost perfectly round with arms that dangle at his sides.
His hands are beige; he seems to be wearing mittens. Meanwhile, he
appears to be wearing boots, which are striped in alternating shades of
brown. On the left boot is the 2010 Olympics symbol. The bottoms of the
boots are a lighter brown and ridged like corduroy. Aside from the hands
and boots, the only part of Quatchi that is smooth is his face, which
stretches across the middle front of his head and is just large enough
to accommodate a thick black smile and two black eyes, as far apart as
they can get, and a shiny brown plastic nose.
The rest of Quatchi is covered in shaggy brown hair about the shade of the titular alien on the campy 1980s TV series ALF.
Just underneath his chin is a tuft of hair that is more beige in color,
but otherwise the hair is uniformly medium brown. Quatchi’s fur is
incredibly soft, as is whatever he is stuffed with. The tag indicates
that he is made up of polyester fibers. There’s variation in the
textures of this little guy, particularly when you factor in the crystal
blue earmuffs resting atop his head, but he is 100 percent snuggly.
I only wish he were a bit bigger. At seven and a half inches tall, he’s a little larger than your average Tribble, a wheat-eating furball that causes Captain Kirk oodles of headaches in a classic Star Trek
episode. That smaller size makes him an ideal desktop decoration, but
he’s so cuddly that he’d make a great substitute for a teddy bear if he
were maybe four times the size he is now. That would also make him look
more Bigfootish, I imagine; right now he’s more of a Littlefoot. But
whatever his size, he sure is cute with that soft fur, the arms that
seem to be begging for a hug and the understated but expansive grin that
exudes friendliness. The 2010 Winter Olympics are long over now, but
Quatchi serves as a welcome reminder of that great moment in Vancouver
history.
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