The Games in Beijing were just spectacular. After all of the hype and talk in the end it just came down to people. Isn't that what it is all about anyway? I thought it fitting to close with some of the faces of Beijing that I have seen these past days. "Welcome to Beijing," "Enjoy the Games," "Congratulations" (after a USA victory), etc. I heard these phrases hundreds of times. 














Jenny, Richard, Wallace and I (here and here) hope you have enjoyed our observations during the 2008 Olympic Games. There were moments of every kind; excitement, joy, sadness at a loss, confusion ("Can you take me to this hotel?"), amazement (Opening Ceremonies, Phelps), pride (every nation!), and more. We were happy to share some of those Kodak Moments with you. I will never forget the kind and courteous welcome I received from the people of Beijing! Xie xie (thank you) and zaijian (goodbye) from Beijing. -tom

Ni hao, y'all. If you have been following any Olympic coverage you get a sense that everything here is on a big scale. This is very true. One thing I have noticed is the use of very positive and lofty phrases on signage everywhere that I go. How can one not be in a good mood after seeing all of these superlatives? Here is a small sampling of what I mean:

Smile Power!




I want some of that and I haven't even been in this store yet!


A non-traditional anti-traditional sign


Top shelf!


What kind of place is Chaoyang? Joyful of course.


I wonder if I am smarter than the building I work in?


Ever wonder where the door to Happiness is? There is one in Mutianyu, China!


Busy people work here for sure.


Simple messaging.


Mmmmm.


Much better than "How is my driving? Call 1-800..."


Where do I join?


Can I take a nap in your store? I have been working crazy hours during the Games and I am sure my face could use some nourishment.


How polite.


This scares me enough to be very effective.


I wonder what superlative the competition uses? Leave a comment with your ideas on that subject.

btw - some of these pictures were taken while hanging out a cab window as it whizzed past and it shows.

As Jenny mentioned in one of her posts - even their Wall is "Great." The Pretty Good Wall of China just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? The people here have been gracious and helpful. They are so proud to be hosting these Games and the smiles on their faces speak more than any sign could!

Now THAT is a universal language!
Nin zao from Beijing.

-tom, Resplendent Blogger for Kodak

Kodak was involved with the first modern Olympics Games that were staged in Athens in 1896. Olympic pins have been popular since those earliest days as well. At any Games they can become a popular currency. One never knows what the "hot" pin will be, then whammo! a particular pin becomes impossible to get. I picked up some pins at my first Games (Sydney in 2000) and apparently became hooked. Since then I have collected quite a number of Kodak pins that I wanted to share.

--> Click on any thumbnail to see the larger version <--

Undated - Here are few pins that I have are older but do not have dates associated with them. Including a gold, silver, and bronze set of the old Kodak logos with the Olympic rings.
 


1988 Seoul, Korea and Calgary, Canada



1992
Barcelona, Spain and Albertville, France. This was the last time when Summer and Winter Games occurred in the same year.




1994 Lillehammer, Norway - Pins start gaining in popularity and sponsors start creating more creative designs.





  




1996 Atlanta, USA - The 100th anniversary of the modern Games where pins exploded on to the scene. Kodak issued a set of 23 photo pins that featured each Games location from 1896 to 1996 and an athlete that stood out. Legends like Jim Thorpe (1912), Johnny Weismuller (1924), Jesse Owens (1936), Nadia Comaneci (1976) and more. Check out our first lenticular pin. It was also a bit hit. This must have been the zenith of the pin craze for us with 55+ different pins. There were more sports pins (the last ones in this series) that I do not have.

 




  





1998 Nagano, Japan - Kodak, as far as I know, weighed in with 30 different designs. Check out the "Kodak" spelled out across five different pins.







2000 Sydney, Australia - "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi! Oi! Oi!" This was the first games I had the privileged to attend. It was an amazing experience. The pins were quite unique as well. Pewter limited edition sets, a more detailed lenticular pin, even a small "photo album" pin that used index print sized pix (very clever).





2002 Salt Lake City, USA - Pins took a back seat to Roots Berets (remember that craze?). Our customized photo pin, with your picture own on it, was extremely popular.


2004 Athens, Greece - The return of the Olympics to its birthplace was very special. Our pins reflected that history with a 6-pin set of classic greek art forms of athletes. Another pin paid homage to Greece has the birthplace of Euclidian geometry's golden spiral. This same pattern was featured in the Closing Ceremonies.


 
 

2006 Torino. Italy - A return to simpler times, 1 pin:


2008 This series uses incorporates a firework pattern into the design. The last pin features the Temple of Heaven a 600-year old iconic complex in Beijing.This pin is only available as a promotion in our online store.
    
...and last but not least: This one is available with purchase on Kodak's Online Store.


A special shout out goes to Bob Soltys, a avid pin collector, that filled in many of the gaps.
Did you find this interesting? Are you now, or were you already, a "pinhead"? (as they say in the trade ;-) Do you have a pin trading story to share? Am I missing some Kodak pins? I would love to hear your comments...