Tag: 1996 Olympics

In 1996, a legendary Carnival designer brought Caribbean flair to the Atlanta Olympics—and accidentally transformed car dealerships forever.

I was told by many friends not to get involved in this because there was no way we could possibly win. This was a global entity. It would be like kicking a giant in the toe. That response mystified me. I said, "I didn’t know we chose our battles according to the ones we knew we could win."

Architectural models of Olympic venues. A lacquered flower bouquet like those presented to gold medalists. Licensed Olympic merchandise, from dolls and key chains to motor oil and wine. Oh, and pins—lots and lots of pins.

We recently took a trip to the Izzy archives, where we found memorabilia that in some cases was as strange than the mascot itself.

John Ryan settled on a character that was neither human nor animal. It resembled a blue tear, with hands sprouting three fingers and a thumb, lightning eyebrows, and a big, sheepish grin.

Athletes, musicians, local leaders, and metro Atlanta residents share their memories of the games—taking home the gold, chauffeuring Muhammad Ali, collecting pins, riding MARTA, performing for Bill and Hillary Clinton, and more.

The retired Georgia state trooper recalled the week he spent with “The Greatest,” who on Friday night died at age 74 after being treated in Phoenix hospital for respiratory complications.

We invite you to share your memories and photos of the 1996 Olympics with Atlanta magazine for the 20th anniversary of the games. A select number of submitted stories and photos, as chosen by the editors, will appear in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

A few big moments from the past 35 years, including the 1996 Olympics, the plan for the BeltLine, the introduction of the iPhone, and more.

Between three syllables uttered on September 18, 1990, everything changed in Atlanta, and so did our city’s place in the world.