I always get really into the Olympics and so far this year has not disappointed. Did anyone see Jason Lezak win the 400 meter relay against France? Wow, but anyway I also really love Beijing's mascots. Known as the Fuwa, or the Friendlies, these five little guys, color coordinated to match the olympic rings, are by far the best Olympic mascots I've ever seen. I'm from Atlanta and will never live down the shame of Izzy (originally called Whatsit) that was some weird blue androngenous creature. I won't even provide a picture. The Friendlies are named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini. The words, Beijing Huan Ying Ni translates into "Beijing Welcomes You."

At Whipup.net they've linked to an awesome paper craft project where you can build 3-D paper models of each of the mascots. I started one for Yingying (who represents the Tibetan Antelope) and this is as far as I've gotten.

 Just the face so far but when he is complete he will look like this...

So cute! But not easy, I would recommend not starting with one that has horns or a lot of head gear. If your computer cannot translate or open the downloads, I suggest the program- unarchiver. Have fun!