Eight pairs of Norwegian children each representing a region in the country were selected from about 10,000 candidates aged 10 to 11 to play the role of the “living mascots”.
Two skating rinks located side by side and bearing the names of the mascots hosted the Olympic and Paralympic events in 1994: the Hakons Hall and the Kristins Hall.
The historical figures who inspired the mascots lived during a troubled period in Norway where two clans, the Birkebeiner and the Baglers, fought for power. Although he was only a small child, Håkon Håkonson, threatened by the Baglers, had to flee Lillehammer through the mountains with his supporters. Birkebeiner princess Kristin Sverrisdóttir married the head of the Baglers, Filippus Símonsson, to bring peace to the two camps.