“Very cute”: Phryge’s plush toy, Olympic mascot and sales star at the Champs-Élysées store

2024-07-28 20:20:24

There is a small one, for 20 euros, a medium one, a large one, then a gigantic one, the price is 800 euros. “An American took four yesterday!” » said a seller from the Paris 2024 megastore In the largest official store for products related to the Games, the Phryge mascot occupies the four corners of the store. Blown on a bob, attached to a luggage or a key tag, it is impossible to miss the plush toy star, red, big blue eyes. And not to break down.

“We took three Phryge hats,” admitted Ludo, who was already wearing his head, as were his sons Thaïs and Thibault. “There are many of them on the street, they will use them during football or rugby matches,” explained the eldest. “And then, he’s the official mascot,” added his sister. In the store, Damien, who worked hard to take a photo surrounded by two big mascots, also saw it as a good accessory in a less entertaining space: “If we have a fancy dress party…”

Paris, Wednesday July 28. Ludo, Thibault, Thaïs, and Nathalie leaving the official Paris 2024 store, Phryges hats on their heads.

For many buyers, it is the ultimate souvenir to take with you. “It is one of the biggest sellers,” confirmed Christophe Rousseau, director of retail operations at Legends, the company that manages the megastore, which was very full on Sunday morning.

According to Edouard Bardon, there is a long queue under the shade of the plane trees of the Champs-Élysées to enter the 1000m² store which offers more than 800 references of the official Paris 2024 products. director of products and official stores , opened the store.

“Made in France” items, sold at a higher price on the Internet

Pauline and Nathan, a couple from Strasbourg, waited for 45 minutes before they were able to get busy with their post-Olympic shopping, after attending the badminton and field hockey events the day before. They stand, eyes glued to their phone that broadcasts judo live: “It’s not our first store,” admits Pauline, who has visited those close to the stadiums.

“But in this one, we are sure to find everything. And then, it’s a different place, where French companies make soft toys. I find it beautiful,” the 30-year-old continued. In the official store, the mascots are in fact “Made in France”, which justifies the higher price than those offered on the website. However, they represent 20% of the soft toys produced, the rest are made in China.

“For souvenirs, no promotion”

Ultimately the couple likes the puzzle to Phryge: “The mascot will end up as dust. There, we have the official poster but in thousands of different versions,” they laugh. The flashy toy mainly works on foreign audiences, although we often wonder about what it represents. “At first, we didn’t know what it looked like. It reminded me a little of the Eiffel Tower. Then I realized it was an old hat,” explained Matteo, who came from the Netherlands with his family.

The reference to the Phrygian cap of the French Revolution wanted by Paris 2024 is not the main reason for the murderous purchases that Phyrge managed to trigger. “He’s so cute,” said Ran, a tourist from China who fell for the mascot and a tote bag with his picture on it. “It’s a bit expensive,” however, lamented the young woman who paid 20 euros for the small 15 cm format, which is also in a Paralympic version.

Generally, the bills are hefty when they leave the store. costs 270 euros. It’s twice what it’s worth,” squeaks Nathalie, who tries to convince herself that she’s made a “collector’s” purchase, as her husband says. In Tiffen, the long certificate ends with a total of 320 euros: “Of course for souvenirs, there is no promotion. »