World Cup Willie marched on to the scene in 1966 with a spiky mane, bovver boy stance, bulbous brogues and – intriguingly for a World Cup held entirely in England – a union jack shirt. The product of a five-minute sketch by children’s illustrator Reg Hoye, who went on to create a red devil mascot for Manchester United, Willie was a marketing sensation. The first World Cup mascot featured on everything from bedspreads to beermats, ceramics to cereal boxes.