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Hong Kong animators bring World Cup Mascot to life

: 0 Comments Print E-mail China.org.cn, thenewsmarket.com, June 10, 2010

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Hong Kong animators recently published their World Cup 2010 Mascot TV series -- Story of Zakumi.

According to the company, Zakumi, a lovely lion mascot in the video, means South Africa and Number 10.

Alexander Wong, director and CEO of jidou Limited, said: "Za – Z-A-K-U-M-I, 'ZA' represents South Africa, 'Kumi' is 10. So it really means the number 10 kid on the soccer field from South Africa, which is also a lucky number of course, number 10, being the number for Pele and all the great soccer players, football players of the past."

Wong indicated this mascot was designed by a famous graphic designer called Andries Odendaal, who's also South African. And the video is basically a story about this character travelling around the country with a bunch of kids in a bus, and having fun and learning about sportsmanship.

He said: "These kids will learn about how to become grown-ups, and the problem of life and challenges and in the end, how to make great friends and have a great time, really enjoying the spirit of the World Cup."