Yes, they ARE designed for kids. But how can us grown-ups not ADMIRE the little fellas? Our favourite is Naranjito: he's an orange with a football under his arm! Awesome.
A sprightly, maned young chap who started the whole mascot scene. Hats off to World Cup Willie and his retro Union Jack ensemble.
1970, Juanito
A football-obsessed little boy called Juanito with a Sombrero on. Very Mexican.
1974, Tip & Tap
Two teutonic-looking young junges with football on their minds and WM on one of their tops – which is short for Weltmeisterschaft, or World Cup.
1978, Gauchito
Not only is he wearing the Argentina kit, he's doing the whole 'gaucho' thing and donning a neckerchief and whip, too.
1982, Naranjito
He's an orange with a football under his arm! What's not to like? His name derives from naranja, which is Spanish for orange.
1986, Pique
A jalapeno pepper with a sombrero on. His name derives from picante, which is Spanish for spicy peppers and sauces.
1990, Ciao
A slight dip in the trend here, but still legendary in his own right. A stick man with the Italian Tricolore running through him. Ace.
1994, Striker
Reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoon characters, Striker's a football-frantic dog with a USA kit on. A good lad.
1998, Footix
The football-kitted rooster is one of the national animals of France, his name being a blend of "football" and the suffix "ix" made popular by the Asterix cartoons. Decent feather cut, too.
2002, Ato, Kaz & Nik
Who knows what these idiots represent? The fact they were selected by people at host country's McDonald's outlets says it all really.
Goleo IV & Pille
A bloke in a furry costume with a German shirt and no pants on. And a talking football. Sod the reasoning, bring back Tip & Tap!
2010, Zakumi
A slight return to form, if a little over-feminine, Zakumi is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for South Africa, "ZA", (GB is our one) plus "kumi" their word for "ten". It's no Naranjito though...
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