Glasgow reacts to 'shocking' Commonwealth Games 2026 mascot
Finnie features a traffic cone as her unicorn horn, inspired by the Duke of Wellington statue, and she has stars on her arms, legs and nose as a nod to the Barrowland Ballroom.
We took a photo of the purple-maned mascot to the streets of the city centre, and people were divided over the design.
Finnie was revealed on top of the Finnieston Crane this morning (Image: Craig Watson)
READ MORE: Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games mascot revealed as unicorn
A girl said Finnie looked "nice", while another added that she thought the mascot was "very pretty."
However, one man compared Finnie to another mascot in the city, he said: "I thought the Partick Thistle mascot was bad, but this is something special."
One pair of women thought that Finnie was "quite cute" and "lovely", while another pair recoiled back on first glimpse of the unicorn, admitting that they didn't like it and "don't think children will like to look at that, to be honest."
"Not impressed", was the first response from another woman, and a pair of men sitting on one of Sauchiehall Street's benches declared they "didn't like the colours."
The majority of responses were along the lines of one man, who said: "Yeah, it's alright."
But the overarching theme we found was that we had to explain the details of the mascot to most, as the majority were a little confused by Finnie's design.
Glasgow reacts to 'shocking' Commonwealth Games 2026 mascot (Image: Craig Watson)
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Once her name, mane and all the other intricate details had been explained, people did seem to warm up to the idea of Finnie.
It also helped that we mentioned how Finnie was imagined with the help of 76 children from 24 schools across Glasgow and brought to life ahead of next year's games.
Once people were aware of the thought behind the mascot, most came around to be more complimentary of her.
One woman changed her view and said: "Having said all that, given what's been put into it, I think it's quite good.
"Because of the difference in that cone on there and the other bits, I can understand why it's been done like that."
#commonwealthgames #finnie #glasgow2026 ♬ original sound - Glasgow Times @glasgowtimes ❓🦄❓The new mascot for the 2026 Commonwealth Games was revealed today, but people in the city are a bit confused by it. Finnie the unicorn was unveiled this morning, and we took a photo of the purple-maned mascot to the streets of the city centre to see what they made of her. #glasgow
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Another pair said: "It all makes sense when you explain it. It's just my initial reaction to it... It's a bit shocking."
One man rounded off the chat by saying: "It's okay, actually, certainly screams Glasgow."
The mascot's arrival marks the start of the one-year countdown to the games, in a statement released alongside the launch, Finnie said: 'I'll be at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games next summer with a grin, a wave, maybe even a wee dance. I'm here to turn the nerves into excitement, stir the cheers and help turn every moment into something magic as Glasgow 2026 swings into the city.'
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