From today, a Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog puppy with an affectionate and friendly face becomes the mascot that will support the Italian National Teams in all their adventures. The mascot, who wears the Azzurri jersey, is the brainchild of an illustrious artist: in fact, it’s by Carlo Rambaldi, a master of special effects, who passed away in 2012. He is internationally known for his cinematic work, having won three Oscars.

FIGC president Gabriele Gravina had this to say about the celebrated artist: “In 2007, Rambaldi gave me a book that contained these sketches that I donated to the FIGC. His fame abroad was extraordinary, but he complained of being not being valued in Italy. I am proud to have given life to another of his creations: today, we are symbolically giving Carlo Rambaldi his fourth Oscar and making a lot of Italians happy.”

In his notes next to the mascot’s sketch, Rambaldi wrote that he had chosen the image of the Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog 'because it’s a dog with great courage, determination, typically Italian and its history is closely linked to the ancient history of our country and its people, which makes it suitable to represent the most beautiful sport in the world, the passions it creates and the Italian spirit'. He also stated that the animal has 'the capacity for initiative, competitiveness, loyalty and understanding the sense of belonging to a group'.

The children of the genius special effects artist and owners of the Carlo Rambaldi Foundation, Victor and Daniela Rambaldi, collaborated in making this project come to life. Daniela Rambaldi declared: “I am grateful to President Gravina for the great dedication to this project of my father's, which represents yet another great achievement.”

Rambaldi's children came up with the idea of making their father's sketches three-dimensional: “This work took a while”, explained his son Victor. “It required a great deal of attention to detail in order to fully interpret the drawings of my father's original project, and I believe that the final product is of top quality.”

From the sketches to the process of making Rambaldi's mascot three-dimensional, the entire journey will be put on display from 9 June, and for the entire period of the European Championship, in a special section inside Casa Azzurri dedicated to Carlo Rambaldi. In the same spot, the FIGC has decided to present an exhibition area to the Carlo Rambaldi Foundation and to Rambaldi Promotions to let the public and Italian fans learn about the project that led to the creation of the mascot, as well as a video dedicated to the career of the three-time Oscar winner.