Julia Glum wrote about Vinicius and Tom in an article in the "International Business Times." She said that the "mascot for the Olympic Games is almost always strange-looking, and Rio de Janeiro is no exception. ... though they're by far not the craziest Olympic animals to ever exist ..." In an article published by "Mic", Brianna Provenzano called the mascots "lovable". She described their appearance as "sweet and simple", and she highlighted their symbolisms for the animals and plants of Brazil. On the other hand, Charlotte Wilder wrote an article in "USA Today"s sports column "For The Win." She said that she was unimpressed by Vinicius's design: "Whoever was in charge of coming up with this creature of the huge hands and feet did exactly what it looks like, which is mash up a bunch of animals, video game characters, and cartoons, stuff it with some synthetic filling, and call it day." Robert John Young, Professor of Wildlife Conservation at the University of Salford, thought that Rio 2016 should have given more attention to environmental protection by using actual animal species instead of inventing their own animal. Young also thought that the organizers should have included a female name in the public vote.