Extremely Rare and Collectible 1972 Munich Olympics Mascot – “Lumpi”

Tidying up my desk recently, I found a long forgotten Lumpi mascot from the 1972 Munich Olympics. The backstory is that, while everyone remembers the 1972 Olympics for the famous dachshund mascot Waldi (the first ever Olympic mascot), there was an earlier, less popular prototype named Lumpi that was quickly replaced by Waldi. Lumpi was a more realistic brown dachshund, whereas Waldi was a colorful, comic-book style striped version, supposedly representing tenacity and endurance. Lumpi was designed by Knautschi, but wasn't popular, leading to Waldi, created by Otl Aicher, becoming the official, iconic mascot for the Games. Very few Lumpis were produced – some online articles claiming as few as 10 – leading to its collectability. To this day Lumpi remains a highly sought-after, rare collector's item due to its brief existence. This particular Lumpi has been mine since it was sent to me brand new from Munich to England in 1972 as a gift and has been in a drawer or on my desk ever since.