I think the Athens mascots were better than these. Those actually had historical backround. Yes, those things had a meaning. --
"Phevos and Athena, the brother and sister mascots of the 2004 Olympics, might be considered a step above the usual stuffed toy Olympic merchandisers come up with every two years, if only because this particular mascot has hundreds of years of history behind it. The male and female dolls, whose gender is only distinguished by either blue or orange dress, are based on a bell-shaped doll from the seventh century BC. And, they are named for two Olympian Gods: Phevos, god of light and music and Athena, godess of wisdom and patron of Athens."
you can find that here-
http://openhere.com/current/496787895.stm
What does an ice cube and a snowflake have to do with culture??