MILAN (AP) 鈥� 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鈥橝mpezzo.
Many of the in the host cities are already sold out, less than a week into the Winter Games.
鈥淚 think the only way to get them is to actually win a medal,鈥� 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 , a popular Olympic pastime.
Tina, , is the lighter-colored stoat and represents the Olympic Winter Games. Her younger brother Milo, short for Milano, is the face of the
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 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.
鈥淲e were lucky we were just in time,鈥� she said, clutching a tiny Tina. 鈥淭hey are gone right now.鈥�
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.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just so lovable and they鈥檙e always super excited at the Games, they are cheering on the crowd,鈥� Chen, 29, said after they snapped their shots. “We just are so excited to meet them.鈥�
The San Franciscan women are in Milan for the Olympics and their friend who is 鈥渙bsessed鈥� with the stoats asked for a plush Tina as a gift.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just so cute, and stoats are such a unique animal to be the Olympic mascot,鈥� Zhang, 28, said.
Annie-Laurie Atkins, Peeler’s friend, loves that Milo is the mascot for Paralympians.
鈥淭he Paralympics are really special to me,鈥� she said Tuesday. 鈥淚 have a lot of friends that are disabled and so having a character that also represents that is just incredible.鈥�
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Brittany Peterson in Milan and Pietro De Cristofaro and Jennifer McDermott in Cortina d鈥橝mpezzo contributed to this report.
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