You know, if I knew any Sasquatches, I would advise them to start suing over the use of their likeness to advertise things like this and Kokanee Beer.
As for the group, well, they look like they were designed by someone over at the CBC Kids promo desk who needed a multicultural group to appeal to the under-three set. After spending the night sleeping in a Sanrio store.
Apparently, the group also includes a Vancouver Island Marmot named MukMuk who is an "honorary mascot." Read more about it at CTV, if you really want to.
Call me cynical, but I think they just designed these to sell souvenirs.
27 November 2007
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8 comments:
I agree with your comments. What do these Japanese-style cartoon characters have to do with Canada? Shameful and politically correct crap.
Uhm, Olympic "mascots" have, from the very beginning, been designed to sell souvenirs. Why would someone be cynical for pointing out the obvious? I mean, it's not like they asked an artist or artists to design it, they asked a commercial design firm.
I don't love the "Japanese-style" but it is a popular style worldwide and BC does have a significant Japanese heritage.
As for "shameful and politically correct" I guess you would find the entire concept of the Olympics to be shameful and politically correct. :) BTW have you seen the "mascots" from the games for the last 20 years? These guys are actually not bad.
I had my sarcasm level set to ten on that last sentence. ;) But, yeah, I know they are only designed to sell souvenirs. As for the design firm, it was an open competition and I believe a lot of artists also entered. Not really a level playing ground.
What really bugs me about this batch is that it is a batch. Not one mascot but a team of mascots (even a sidekick!) Perhaps by 2032 there will be enough mascots to put out a line of action figures that rivals Star Wars....
In light of other mascots though, these ones do have much better marketability, you're right. Some of the other creations bordered on creepy.
Apart from Quatchie (Coochie?), the others are weirdo mish-mashes done for the same reason, that the cartoon/CGI movie "Dinosaur" dinos were not actual dinosaurs found in paleontology. These were composites unique to the movie. That way, you couldn't buy an unofficial toy. The same thing goes here: the Bear/Orca monstrosity appears in only one place.
Though, I think T-Shirts with Yam-Yam, Coochie and Taser will available soon via Cafepres...
:: turns red on behalf of my Canada ancestry and all that is decent and good in the world::
It's one thing to try to have a trendy anime-look to the mascots, but at least let it be goooooood anime.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nagaijin/sets/7215760168417916
Aw, crap. (No automatic hyperlinking)
functional link to marginally entertaining photo link
Heh. Third time lucky. :) Thanks for the link, Pastilla.
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