Wenlock and Mandeville unveiled as official London 2012 mascots

THE London 2012 mascots have been unveiled as Wenlock and Mandeville - two steel creatures, born in Bolton, who represent Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic history.

DOUBLE ACT: Wenlock and Mandeville have been unveiled as the official mascots of the London 2012 Olympics (Locog)

The two one-eyed creatures were revealed on The One Show on the BBC tonight and London 2012 organisers hope the mascots will help contribute to £70m of the £2bn with their merchandising clout.

According to the story behind Wenlock and Mandeville, written by well known children's author Michael Morpurgo, the figures were brought to life from drops of steel used to construct the Olympic Stadium in east London.

The names of both mascots are borne out of Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic history with Wenlock, taking its name from Much Wenlock - a town in Shropshire where Dr William Penny Brookes created the Wenlock Olympian Games in 1850.

History has it that Dr Brookes met with Pierre de Coubertin the father of the modern Olympics, prior to the first modern summer Games, which took place in Athens in 1896.

HAPPY CHAP: Wenlock, a creature made out of the steel used to build the Olympic Stadium, takes his name from Much Wenlock - a Shropshire town which staged the Wenlock Olympian Games in the 19th century (Locog)

Mandeville meanwhile, takes its name from Stoke Mandeville, a Buckinghamshire village which hosted the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948.