Monkey mascot in mumps mystery
Print Edition
A 3D cartoon monkey created by China Central TV as the mascot for this year’s Spring Festival Gala has been ridiculed online due to its strange facial appendages.
The animation was based on a drawing in a Chinese ink style by renowned artist Han Meilin, who was commissioned by the state broadcaster to create a character to accompany its annual variety show.
CCTV released both versions of the cartoon simian to the public via its Weibo account on Thursday morning, claiming that the 3D rendering was an “improved” version of Han’s original.
A better adjective might have been “enhanced,” as people were quick to spot that the adapted design featured a bemusing pair of balls, seemingly dangling from the monkey’s jowls.
Equally fast to respond to, and distance himself from, the CCTV design — which rapidly attracted a slew of ribald remarks — was Han himself.
“I just designed the front view of a monkey’s head,” he said.
“I haven’t been involved in any other designs, and I’ve not seen the 3D version before.”
Han, who is best known for creating the five Fuwa mascots used for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, said he was approached by the gala’s producer in November and asked to design a monkey mascot.
After several attempts, he said he settled on an image that combined traditional monkey characteristics with the Chinese art colors of red and green. He named his creature “Kang Kang,” which means “health” in Chinese.
As of late last night, CCTV had yet to respond to the comments made about its design.
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