They rejected animated tea-pots, giant Trafalgar Square pigeons and a Big Ben with arms and legs on the way to creating the mascots for the 2012 Olympics. Fluffy lions were also cold-shouldered before Wenlock and Mandeville, “two futuristic, magical beings” according to their creator, were unveiled this evening as the strikingly one-eyed faces of the London Games.

In a school in East London, Lord Coe unveiled the shiny, genderless, ultra-modern figures who will adorn millions of posters, T-shirts, key-rings and toys. There are 799 shopping days before the first starting pistol at the 2012 Olympics, and Wenlock and Mandeville are under pressure to earn around £15 million of the £70 million the organisers need to make from licensed merchandising.

A London identity is not at all obvious even with the small orange light on the mascots’ forehead, which represents a taxi cab, but Locog, the organising committee, say these are the “core versions” of Wenlock and Mandeville. They are working on around 30 collectibles, including a Union Jack version and a London Bobby.