# Cobi and Petra
**Cobi and Petra** were the official mascots of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic and [Paralympic Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/paralympic-games) respectively, both created by the Spanish designer Javier Mariscal. Cobi, a stylized Catalan sheepdog (gos d'atura), served the Summer Olympics, while Petra, a girl without arms, represented the Paralympic Games held in Barcelona from 3 to 14 September 1992.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Petra's role | Mascot of the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games, representing a girl without arms as a symbol of overcoming and inclusion in Paralympic sport[1](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra) |
| Creator | Javier Mariscal, who also created Cobi, the Olympic mascot of the same Games[1](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra) • [2](https://www.enciclopedia.cat/gran-enciclopedia-catalana/jocs-paralimpics-de-barcelona-1992) |
| Inspiration | The Chilean artist Lorenza Böttner, embodying values of effort and companionship[1](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra) |
| First | Petra was the first Paralympic mascot with a visible physical disability[3](https://www.paralympic.org/mascots) |
| Games scale | 3,020 athletes from 82 countries competed; the Games had a budget of 9,000 million pesetas, with ONCE contributing 4,000 million[2](https://www.enciclopedia.cat/gran-enciclopedia-catalana/jocs-paralimpics-de-barcelona-1992) |
| Screen appearances | Petra appeared in the opening and closing ceremonies and in the animated series The Cobi Troupe[1](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra) |
## Petra, the Paralympic mascot
Petra was designed by Javier Mariscal, the Valencian designer and illustrator who also created Cobi for the Barcelona Olympics. According to Mariscal's studio, the character represents a girl without arms and symbolizes overcoming and inclusion in Paralympic sport; the design was inspired by Lorenza Böttner, a Chilean artist with a disability who lived in Germany[1](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra) • [4](https://www.servimedia.es/noticias/paralimpicos-mariscal-presenta-lorenza-artista-dio-vida-petra-inauguracion-paralimpicos/1410781672).
The [International Paralympic Committee](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-paralympic-committee) describes Petra as the first Paralympic mascot with a visible physical disability, and credits her positive, extroverted, independent and energetic personality with helping make the Barcelona 1992 Games memorable[3](https://www.paralympic.org/mascots). The mascot was officially presented in 1991 and played a prominent role in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games[1](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra).
At the opening ceremony's eve in September 1992, Mariscal presented Lorenza Böttner publicly as the artist who had given life to Petra. A stage number showed Petra performing everyday acts, such as turning on a television, making coffee and unwrapping shopping, without difficulty despite her physical disability, against a set designed by Mariscal[4](https://www.servimedia.es/noticias/paralimpicos-mariscal-presenta-lorenza-artista-dio-vida-petra-inauguracion-paralimpicos/1410781672).
## Cobi, the Olympic mascot
Cobi, the Barcelona 1992 Olympic mascot, is a Catalan sheepdog drawn in Mariscal's characteristic flat-color graphic style. The name alludes to the initials of COOB'92, the Games organizing committee, and was chosen for being easy to remember and pronounce in most languages[5](https://www.olympic-museum.de/mascot/olympic-games-mascot-1992.php). Mariscal later described the design brief from Barcelona mayor Pasqual Maragall as a demand for something modern and groundbreaking, and joked that a mascot is a gaudy device for selling T-shirts, while acknowledging that Cobi became a beloved emblem of the Games[6](https://as.com/juegos_olimpicos/mariscal-una-mascota-es-una-horterada-para-enganar-a-ninos-n/).
## The 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games
The IX Paralympic Games were held in Barcelona from 3 to 14 September 1992, gathering 3,020 high-level athletes with varying degrees of physical or sensory disabilities, along with about 1,000 team officials representing 82 countries. The organizing committee COOB'92 ran the Games on a budget of 9,000 million pesetas, of which the organization ONCE contributed 4,000 million[2](https://www.enciclopedia.cat/gran-enciclopedia-catalana/jocs-paralimpics-de-barcelona-1992). The official logo of the Games was designed by Josep Maria Trias[2](https://www.enciclopedia.cat/gran-enciclopedia-catalana/jocs-paralimpics-de-barcelona-1992).
The United States topped the medal table with 176 medals (76 gold), Germany was second with 169, and Great Britain third with 126; Spain finished fifth with 106 medals[2](https://www.enciclopedia.cat/gran-enciclopedia-catalana/jocs-paralimpics-de-barcelona-1992).
## The Cobi Troupe
Petra also appeared in *The Cobi Troupe*, the animated series starring Cobi, the Olympic mascot[1](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra). The series has been screened at animation festivals, including a retrospective honoring Mariscal at the Animac festival in Lleida, where its projection required authorization from the [International Olympic Committee](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-olympic-committee)[7](https://cadenaser.com/cataluna/2025/02/20/cobi-i-la-seva-troupe-tambe-estaran-presents-a-lanimac-per-homenatjar-mariscal-radio-lleida/).
## References
1. [Petra, Career & Store, Mariscal](https://en.mariscal.com/proyectos/petra)
2. [Jocs Paralímpics de Barcelona 1992, Enciclopèdia Catalana](https://www.enciclopedia.cat/gran-enciclopedia-catalana/jocs-paralimpics-de-barcelona-1992)
3. [Paralympic Games Mascots, International Paralympic Committee](https://www.paralympic.org/mascots)
4. [Paralímpicos. Mariscal presenta a Lorenza, el artista que dio vida a Petra, Servimedia (9 September 1992)](https://www.servimedia.es/noticias/paralimpicos-mariscal-presenta-lorenza-artista-dio-vida-petra-inauguracion-paralimpicos/1410781672)
5. [Mascot Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona, Olympic Museum](https://www.olympic-museum.de/mascot/olympic-games-mascot-1992.php)
6. [Mariscal: "Una mascota es una horterada para vender camisetas", AS](https://as.com/juegos_olimpicos/mariscal-una-mascota-es-una-horterada-para-enganar-a-ninos-n/)
7. [Cobi i la seva "troupe" també estaran presents a l'Animac per homenatjar Mariscal, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/cataluna/2025/02/20/cobi-i-la-seva-troupe-tambe-estaran-presents-a-lanimac-per-homenatjar-mariscal-radio-lleida/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Olympics and multisport subjects › General sport and multisport institutions › Paralympic movement › Paralympic Games editions › Modern Paralympic Games (1992–2026) › Ceremonies, symbols, and broadcasting of the modern Games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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