Misha (), also known as Mishka () or The Olympic Mishka (), is the name of the Russian Bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games (the XXII Summer Olympics). He was designed by children's books illustrator Victor Chizhikov. Misha is the first mascot of a sporting event to achieve large-scale commercial success in merchandise. The Misha doll was used extensively during the opening and closing ceremonies, appeared on several merchandise products and had both an animated short film (animated by Soyuzmultfilm) and a television series (animated by Nippon Animation), all of which are now common practice not only in the Olympic Games, but also in the FIFA World Cup and other events' mascots. Origins of the name Misha In Russian, Misha is a short form for the Russian male name Mikhail (Michael), and Mishka is a diminutive of Misha. This name, in any of its forms, is a common colloquialism in Russian for a bear, because it is similar to the standard name for 'bear,' медведь (medved'). Also, most anthropomorphic bears in Russian fairy tales have this name. It is thought to originate as a euphemism for medved', which was tabooed because of magical thinking that letting out the "true name" of the dangerous animal may cause it to come and attack. Medved''' (which means "honey-eater") itself is thought to be older Proto-Slavic euphemism for Proto-Indo-European *r̥kþos. Origins In 1977, the committee organizing the Olympics held a contest for the best illustration of a bear. The judges chose Victor Chizhikov's design depicting a smiling bear cub wearing a blue-black-yellow-green-red (colors of the Olympic rings) weightlifter's belt, with a golden buckle shaped like the five rings. Misha's design of a small, cuddly and smiling bear cub was evidently intended to counter the "big and brutal Russian Bear". Misha was confirmed as an official mascot on 19 December 1977. Chizhikov complained that the country reneged on a promise to grant him the copyright to his bear which deprived him of royalties, although the Russian Olympic Committee stated "in accordance with the Olympic Charter, after Dec. 31 of the year in which the Olympic Games had been held, all the rights to the intellectual property and the symbols of the Olympics go the International Olympic Committee". Misha's origins were depicted in the 1979 animated film Baba Yaga is against!During the closing ceremony of the 1980 Olympic Games, a giant effigy of Misha