Why Ice Skaters Get Showered With Plushies, and Where They All Go After

After the Olympians Skate, Toys Rain Onto the Ice. Where Do They All Go?

A stuffed capybara. A bouquet of flowers. Olympic mascots. Moments after figure skaters finish their programs, plush toys and gifts rain down from the audience as tokens of appreciation. Then it’s go time for the young skaters sitting by the rink. Their job: sweep up the toys as fast as possible. Their reward: share the Olympic ice, if only briefly, with the best athletes in the world. “I get nervous because I know that before I go on, there was…

Why Ice Skaters Get Showered With Plushies, and Where They All Go After

Fans began throwing plushies onto the ice during figure skating competitions in the early 2000s to replace flowers. Here's why the items changed.