02/10/26 02:02:00
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02/10 14:01 CST Olympic fans hunt for plushies of mascots Milo and Tina as they
fly off shelves
Olympic fans hunt for plushies of mascots Milo and Tina as they fly off shelves
By STEFANIE DAZIO and ANNIE RISEMBERG
Associated Press
MILAN (AP) --- For fans of the Milan Cortina Olympic mascots, the eponymous
Milo and Tina, it's been nearly impossible to find a plush toy of the stoat
siblings in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Many of the official Olympics stores in the host cities are already sold out,
less than a week into the Winter Games.
"I think the only way to get them is to actually win a medal," Julia Peeler
joked Tuesday in central Milan, where Tina and Milo characters posed for photos
with fans.
The 38-year-old from South Carolina is on the hunt for the plushies for her
niece. She's already bought some mascot pins, but she won't wear them on her
lanyard. Peeler wants to avoid anyone trying to swap for them in a pin trade, a
popular Olympic pastime.
Tina, short for Cortina, is the lighter-colored stoat and represents the
Olympic Winter Games. Her younger brother Milo, short for Milano, is the face
of the Paralympic Winter Games.
Milo was born without one paw but learned to use his tail and turn his
difference into a strength, according to the Olympics website. A stoat is a
small mustelid, like a weasel or an otter.
The animals adorn merchandise ranging from coffee mugs to T-shirts, but the
plush toys are the most popular.
They're priced from 18 to 58 euros (about $21 to $69) and many of the major
official stores in Milan, including the largest one at the iconic Duomo
Cathedral, and Cortina have been cleaned out. They appeared to be sold out
online Tuesday night.
Winning athletes are gifted the plush toys when they receive their gold, silver
and bronze medals atop the podium.
Broadcast system engineer Jennifer Suarez got lucky Tuesday at the media center
in Milan. She's been collecting mascot toys since the 2010 Vancouver Games and
has been asking shops when they would restock.
"We were lucky we were just in time," she said, clutching a tiny Tina. "They
are gone right now."
Friends Michelle Chen and Brenda Zhang were among the dozens of fans Tuesday
who took photos with the characters at the fan zone in central Milan.
"They're just so lovable and they're always super excited at the Games, they
are cheering on the crowd," Chen, 29, said after they snapped their shots. "We
just are so excited to meet them."
The San Franciscan women are in Milan for the Olympics and their friend who is
"obsessed" with the stoats asked for a plush Tina as a gift.
"They're just so cute, and stoats are such a unique animal to be the Olympic
mascot," Zhang, 28, said.
Annie-Laurie Atkins, Peeler's friend, loves that Milo is the mascot for
Paralympians.
"The Paralympics are really special to me," she said Tuesday. "I have a lot of
friends that are disabled and so having a character that also represents that
is just incredible."
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Brittany Peterson in Milan and Pietro De Cristofaro and Jennifer McDermott in
Cortina d'Ampezzo contributed to this report.
___
AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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