[Transferred]World Expo Mascots

[font=comic sans ms][b]First, congratulate to opening of  new section: [color=blue]Shanghai Expo 2010[/color]

Hope we can industudce more things about Shanghai Expo to friends all over the world.

Let's get to business,Mascots of Shanghai Expo 2010: Haibao,from the creative idea to it's birth,we can see chinese people and Shanghai Goverment make great efforts to hold this Expo in 2010.

Ok,let's begin

#2 A Creative Seminar of Expo Mascot
#3 The Worldwide Mascot Selection Process
#4 Shanghai Expo unveils its mascot "Haibao"
#5 Theme Manifestation
#6 The Name -- Hai Bao
#7 The Main Character of the Mascot
#8 Designing concept of the mascot
#9 Review the past Masot

more inforamtion about Shanghai Expo 2010,welcome visit :[/b][url=http://en.expo2010china.com/][b]http://en.expo2010china.com/[/b][/url]

[size=3][color=red][b]We also welcome orignial articles relating to Shanghai Expo 2010,especially for friends in Jiangsu and Zhejiang province.[/b][/color][/size][/font]

[[i] Last edited by Frank_Brown at 2008-11-30 16:30 [/i]]

A Creative Seminar of Expo Mascot

[b][font=comic sans ms]A lovely animal or an imaginary character, a single hero or a group of cheerful friends? Whatever kind of looking the upcoming mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai will be, it will be an image for the prosperous Shanghai and a messenger between the east and the west.

In the blooming spring, a heated discussion about the mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai took place on the cruise Princess Rose sailing along the Huangpu River.

Since the international solicitation of the Expo mascot released on January 17, the design of the Expo mascot has drawn great attention of both common people and artists.

The organizers dispatched eight teams traveling more than 40,000 kilometer home and abroad and provide a door to door promotion to over 15,000 people, asking them to submit ideas about the Expo mascot.

Widely known as something that can bring good luck, cheery, attractive and lovely mascots are always a fascinating highlight at big events such as World Expos and the Olympics.

Tracing back to the 2005 Aichi Expo, Morizo and Kiccoro, two imaginative animated forest fairies conveyed the expo theme. And other mascots in the World Expos' history like Twipsy (2000 Hanover Expo), owning a man's foot and a woman's foot together with a large hand, and Gil (1999 Lisbon Expo), named after Portuguese navigator and explorer Gil Eanes, are imaginary characters.

What bearing in designers' mind can help to create mascot representing Shanghai and China? More than 150 experts and scholars gathered here to exchange ideas on the mascot.

The organizers expect designers to provide the mascot of Shanghai Expo with innovation, globalization and sustainable development, which grows out of Chinese traditional culture and represents the trend of the modern world.  

Hon Bing-wah, President of the Hong Kong Designers Association, prefers imaginative characters for they can show correspondence of the theme regardless the nationalism and regions. "The design of the mascot is for a global event, so it has to hold a global concern," said Hon.

Hon also said that the Expo mascot needs a modern appearance which could represent the core concept of World Expos -- innovation and high-technology -- and a Chinese spirit which could pass on Chinese culture to the world.

Famous Chinese designer Chen Youjian regards imagination as the key element. "Besides what we can see by our own eyes, abstract space is more important. Sometimes exquisite craftsmanship is not necessary, but abstract space for imagination is a must," said Chen.

Mi Qiu, an artist, thinks the conflicts between fashionable icons and traditional elements can be avoided by three ways: break through traditional worship and representation, cut in through the processing of urbanization or merely pursue visible beauty.

"Young artists should stand out," said Weng Ling, artist, Aldo Cibic, Domus Academy professor.

"From my points of view, the mascot is light, thin, soft and lovely. And it is the design from the kids and teenagers that could realize these feelings. They will bring us things beyond our imagination and beloved by everyone."

Daryl Joseph Moorm, dean of Montclair University Design Academy, said, "The final design of the mascot may be very close to common life. The mascot for Expo should like the constructions along the bond which leave a deep visionary impact on people. It is a hint of China and the nice life in China echoing the really good theme 'Better City, Better Life.'"

Yang Xiahui, Famous designer from Taiwan, points out that the sustainable running of the brand is as important as the instant profits from souvenirs.

The Expo mascot is unveiled at the end of 2007. And the solicitation unveils the whole vision design of the Shanghai Expo. From the color of the Expo area and pavilion to the entering ticket, whatever route a designer takes, it leads to the same destination.[/font][/b]

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The Worldwide Mascot Selection Process

[b][font=comic sans ms]Starting from the moment that World Expo organizers released the public solicitation for the World Expo mascot on January 17, a special team of 50 people started their year-long journey to select a lovable mascot for the event.

The public selection lasted for four and half months. According to the experience of previous World Expos and Olympics, the organizers often asked designated teams to create the mascots rather than public solicitation.

The organizers of Shanghai Expo realized that it is not enough if they just rely on the media promotion for the solicitation, they should also make great efforts themselves.

The staff of the mascot selection office traveled to more than 50 cities in China and across the world. It also did a door-to-door promotion to over 80,000 people, asking them to submit ideas for the Expo mascot.

They talked with 1,500-plus designing companies, 800-plus advertising companies, 1,000-plus animation companies and 200-plus colleges, and get their support for the mascot solicitation.

It is the biggest-ever promotion campaign for the mascot solicitation in China.

The team promised to the organizers, they will receive at least 15,000 entries. But their final goal is set at 20,000.

Finally, the organisers received 26,655 entries in the worldwide design competition that ran through May 31.

Designing the mascot is harder than designing the emblem, said Song Jianming, deputy director of China Academy of Art.

"It is easy to draw 10, or even 20 emblems a day, because it's just a simple image. The mascot is different. It is much more complicated. A professional needs one month to think of one mascot."

During the nationwide promotion of the mascot selection, the team found that many people don't understand what World Expo is. In order to give an actual idea of the event, the team also promoted the World Expo history, from the first Expo 1851 in London to the latest Aichi Expo in 2005.

Since the large-scale promotion hasn't been started in China in April, many people still regard the event as an international commercial exposition. The team also explained the meaning of Shanghai Expo to the public.

Among the 26,655 entries to the Expo, the youngest person to submit an entry was only three years old, and the oldest was 83.

About seven percent of the entries are designed by children less than 10 years old. The designers are of all kinds of professions, including students, retired people, sportsmen, nurses, designers, clerks, painters, writers, teachers and actors. Nearly 70 percent of the designers are from eastern costal cities.

The organizers are proud of the selection result. With the unveiling of the World Expo mascot, the selecting and the choosing work have come to an end, but now, it is another brand-new start during the journey of the preparation for Shanghai Expo.[/b]
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Shanghai Expo unveils its mascot "Haibao"

[b][font=comic sans ms]World Expo Shanghai has chosen a "人" (people)-shaped imaginary character as its mascot. The blue little person last debuted at the unveiling gala at Shanghai Grand Stage.
The mascot "Haibao," which means the treasure of the seas, is another Expo symbol created from Chinese character following the Expo emblem in the shape of "世" (world).
With the falling of the dominoes as well as the magnificent sound and light effect, the image of Expo mascot was showed in a surprisingly eye-catching way as the organizers promised.

The licensed product of Haibao will be availed in three authorized outlets this morning in Shanghai.

As most of the mascot of World Expo, Haibao was an imaginary object which created from the Chinese character "人," meaning people. The mascot manifests a "people-oriented" sprit and tells the public "people" the foundation to build a better life, the organizers explained.

The theme of Shanghai Expo is "Better City, Better Life." The structure of Chinese character 人, in which two strokes support each other, manifests the concept that a good life should be created by all the people. The world should be supported by "people," and people should have harmonious relationships with nature and society, so that the life in cities would be better.

The image of the mascot is simple and easy to remember. Though it is a single mascot, with the different motions and costumes, it could also have various appearances, the organizers said.

The blue color represents the water, which also speaks that Haibao is from a costal city Shanghai.

The final winner is selected out of 26,655 entries from the four-month worldwide public solicitation for the mascot idea which was launch on January 17.

Instead of asking designated teams to create the mascots, like most of the other World Expos and Olympics, the organizers launched a public solicitation to hear what common people think.

The staff of the mascot selection office traveled to more than 50 cities in China and across the world. It also did a door-to-door promotion to over 80,000 people, asking them to submit ideas for the Expo mascot.

They talked with 1,500-plus designing companies, 800-plus advertising companies, 1,000-plus animation companies and 200-plus colleges, and get their support for the mascot solicitation.

Among the 26,655 entries to the Expo, the youngest person to submit an entry was only three years old, and the oldest was 83.

About seven percent of the entries are designed by children less than 10 years old. The designers are of all kinds of professions, including students, retired people, sportsmen, nurses, designers, clerks, painters, writers, teachers and actors. Nearly 70 percent of the designers are from eastern costal cities.

An 11-man selection jury chose the idea of a local designing company [/font][/b]

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Theme Manifestation

[b][font=comic sans ms]Cities is formed by the assembly of human beings and then evolved into an organized system, in which people are the most active and creative cells. People's life and development of the cities are closely related. With the rapid process of urbanization, the interaction between cities and the biological circle as well as the resources on the earth have become more and more strong. The relationship among people, city and earth runs through the urbanization. The three will become an inseparable complex.

People are the cells as well as the spirit of cities. People give the cities their cultures, characters and uniqueness. With the urbanization, more are more people become urban dwellers. People's life is inevitably affected by the development of cities. Cities should create a good living and innovation environment for people.

The structure and network of different cities have common views as well as their uniqueness. To understand the system and development of cities and construct a sustainable, healthy city structure is the precondition of building a livable city. It relies on people's understanding of city's developing rules as well as the rational activities in daily life.

Human being, creator of good life, is the core to push the city development as well as the most creative part in the urbanization; hence, the designing of the mascot chose the Chinese character of people to be the main image. The blue color mascot represents the elements including earth, dream, sea, future, technology and manifests the theme of World Expo "Better City, Better Life."

The image of the mascot is simple, easy to remember and to communicate. Though it is a single mascot, with the different motions and costumes, it could also have various appearances.

Water is the source of life. The main character of the mascot is water. The blue color stated Chinese brand-new gesture to embrace the world.

Hai Bao embodies ideal of the coexistence of different cultures in cities; embodies the appreciation of economic development and environmental sustainable development; embodies the wish to remodel the city communities, embodies the anticipation of the well-off both urban cities and countrysides. Hai Bao is the whish to colorful life and the warm invitation to friends from all over the world to Shanghai.[/font][/b]

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The Name -- Hai Bao

[b][font=comic sans ms]The name of the mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is Hai Bao, which means the treasure of the sea. The name of Hai Bao is easy to remember, echoes with the color of its body and is a typical lucky name in Chinese tradition.

Hai Bao is the good well ambassador of Shanghai Expo. He is embracing friends from all over the world with his arms and confident smile.[/font][/b]

[[i] Last edited by Frank_Brown at 2008-11-30 16:24 [/i]]

The Main Character of the Mascot

[b][font=comic sans ms]Created from the Chinese character "," which means people, the mascot embodies the character of Chinese culture and echoes with the designing concept of the emblem of World Expo Shanghai. Using the Chinese character as the mascot of an international event is an innovation.

Hair: the hair of the mascot is like the wave of the sea, which represents its open character and stated the character of its birth place Shanghai.

Face: its cartoon expression shows its confidence and friendly character.

Eye: big, round eyes show his anticipation of the city.

Blue: the color shows its latitude and imagination, which represents the rising and potential China.

Body: its round body represents a well-off life, which is also lovely and cute.

Fist: he thumbs up to show the appreciation and warm welcome to the friends from all over the world.

Big feet: he stands steadily on the big feet and embraces the world with big arms, which shows China have the ability and faith to host a successful Expo.

The structure of Chinese character , in which two strokes support each other, manifests the concept that a good life should be created by all the people. The world should be supported by "people," and people should have harmonious relationships with nature and society, so that the life in cities would be better.

The mascot will surly become the lucky symbol and cultural remark of Shanghai Expo.[/font][/b]

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Designing concept of the mascot

[b][font=comic sans ms]Like the mascots for huge worldwide events such as Olympics and World Cup, the mascot of World Expo is very important for interpreting the theme and expressing the culture. The emblems and images of past World Expos have turned into the unique intangible legacy. The World Expo mascots have not only become the representatives of Expo images, but also embody the culture and spirit of hosting countries and cities.

Mascot, as the symbol featuring the hosting country, will embody the history, development, culture, concept and social background of the country and will play an important role in the communication in political, economical and cultural fields.

The mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is trying to accomplish the following functions:

[color=blue]1. To embody the culture of the hosting country[/color]

World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is a global event that is hosted by China and undertaken by the city of Shanghai. It is the first time that a developing country will host a registered World Expo. The design of Shanghai Expo mascot must have Chinese cultural characters, state the Chinese cultural sprit and manifest that Shanghai Expo is a platform for worldwide cultural exchange. Meanwhile, the design must accord with Chinese laws and social conventions.

[color=blue]2. To interpret the theme "Better City, Better Life"[/color]

The mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China should become the unique visual logo of theme development and should be different from the existing mascot images of previous World Expos and international events in theme manifestation and designing.

The image of mascot should well express the theme of Shanghai Expo "Better City, Better Life" by using innovative ideas, impressive appearance and motions to state its concept and characters. By exploring the relationship among cities, urban dwellers and planet, the mascot must express the inner relation between heritage and future. The designing concept should be clear and unique, which coincide with the theme and easy for the public to undertand.

[color=blue]3. To have the value of re-creation[/color]

The mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China should meet the principle of "good looking, easy to understand, easy to remember and easy to use." It should also be suitable for the creation of licensed products, including stationeries, garment, souvenirs and jewelries. The mascot should be easy to be re-created in graphic, solid or electronic media.[/font][/b]

[[i] Last edited by Frank_Brown at 2008-11-30 16:25 [/i]]

Review the past World Expo Masot

[size=3][b][color=magenta][font=Times New Roman]Expo 1986 Vancouver, Canada
[/font][/b][/color][url=http://imageshack.us/][size=3][font=Times New Roman][color=magenta][b][img]http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5080/86ec7.jpg[/img][/b][/color][/font][/size][/url]
[b][font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=magenta]Expo 1992 Seville, Spain[/color][/size]
[/font][/b][url=http://imageshack.us/][b][font=Times New Roman][img]http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/6207/92ko9.gif[/img][/font][/b][/url]
[b][font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=magenta]Expo 1998 Lisbon, Portugal[/color][/size]
[/font][/b][url=http://imageshack.us/][b][font=Times New Roman][img]http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4535/98cd0.jpg[/img][/font][/b][/url]
[b][font=Times New Roman][color=blue]The Expo 1998 mascot, named Gil, was conceived by the Portuguese duo of painter Antonio Modesto and sculptor Artur Moreira. It was selected from 309 entries. The name, after Portuguese navigator Gil Eanes, was chosen by high-school student Jose Luis Coelho, from 765 entries.[/color]

[size=3][color=magenta]Expo 1999 Kunming, China[/color][/size]
[/font][/b][url=http://imageshack.us/][b][font=Times New Roman][img]http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/6194/99xa7.jpg[/img][/font][/b][/url]
[b][font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=magenta]Expo 2000 Hannover, Germany[/color][/size]
[/font][/b][url=http://imageshack.us/][b][font=Times New Roman][img]http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/9459/00bv8.jpg[/img][/font][/b][/url]
[b][font=Times New Roman][color=blue]Twipsy is the World Expo 2000 Hannover, Germany mascot. Twipsy is a multi-coloured creature: with a large mouth, a big nose, a plant for left arm, an human hand for right arm, a man's foot and a woman's foot.[/color]

[size=3][color=magenta]Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan[/color][/size]
[/font][/b][url=http://imageshack.us/][b][font=Times New Roman][img]http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/8521/05ck7.jpg[/img][/font][/b][/url]
[b][font=Times New Roman][color=red]Kiccoro ( Forest Child )
[/color]
[color=blue]The Forest Child has only just been born. Jumping around everywhere, he's (she's) full of energy! The Forest Child wants to see and do everything! He's (she's) looking forward to making lots of friends at the Expo.[/color]

[color=red]Morizo ( Forest Grand Father )[/color]

[/font][/b][b][font=Times New Roman][color=blue]The Forest Grandfather has been living in the forest since long ago. He's an easy-going and kind old man, he has seen many things and knows everything, but he hasn't lost his curiosity. Hearing about the Expo, he's enthusiastic about lending a hand.
[/color]
[size=3][color=magenta]Expo 2006 Ratchaphruek[/color][/size]
[/font][/b][url=http://imageshack.us/][b][font=Times New Roman][img]http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2375/06cg0.jpg[/img][/font][/b][/url]
[align=left][color=blue][b][font=Times New Roman]Royal Flora Ratchaphruek has enlisted the help of its nine adorable mascots to help promote the event nationwide. [/font][/b][/align][b][font=Times New Roman][color=blue]Team Leader [i]Nong Khun[/i] and his companions have been on a tour around Thailand urging Thais to be proud hosts of Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 -- an impressive world-class international expo of tropical flora. During the expo, visitors from Thailand and all over the world will be treated to a dazzling spectacle of over 2.5 million tropical plants representing over 2,200 species. [/color]
[color=blue]While on his travels, [i]Nong Khun[/i] is accompanied by [i]Nong Kulap[/i] representing the Queen Sirikit Rose; [i]Nari [/i]representing the Lady's Slipper Orchid, [i]paphiopedilum[/i]; [i]Bua[/i] representing the lotus; [i]Kan Yao[/i], representing durian -- 'king' of tropical fruits; [i]Mangkhut[/i] representing mangosteen -- 'queen' of tropical fruits; [i]Fak Bua[/i] -- the plant watering can -- represents a boy who takes care of the plants; [i]Chon[/i], the Chinese radish; and [i]Ta Thung[/i], the scarecrow.[/color][/font][/color]
[color=#0000ff][/color]
[size=3][font=Times New Roman][color=magenta]Expo 2008 Zaragoza, Spain[/color][/font][/size][/size]
[/b][url=http://imageshack.us/][b][font=Times New Roman][img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/2464/08es5.jpg[/img][/font][/b][/url]
[color=blue][font=Times New Roman][size=3][b]Fluvi is a water creature, the Expo Zaragoza 2008 mascot. His body is semi-translucent and jelly-like.[/b]
[color=blue][b]He is a positive character, purifying, cleaning and nourishing everything he touches. It forms part of the Posis family. As it moves around quickly it gives off tiny drops of water. It is innocent, generous and kind to nature. Wherever he steps, he leaves footprints that nourish, fertilise and give life.[/color][/size][/font][/b][/color]

[[i] Last edited by Frank_Brown at 2008-11-30 16:30 [/i]]

:loveliness: :loveliness: lovely mascots