Zakumi the Leopard was the official mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup[1] held in South Africa. He is an anthropomorphized leopard with green hair who was announced on September 22, 2008.[2]
| Zakumi | |
 Zakumi the Leopard, the official mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. | |
| Genre | Sports, Comedy |
|---|---|
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Alexander Wong |
| Produced by | Patrick Keller |
| Written by | Andries Odendaal |
| Original network | |
| Original run | 2010 |
| Episodes | 22 |
His name comes from "ZA", the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for South Africa, and Kumi, a word that means "ten" in several African languages, signifying "South Africa 2010".[3]
Description
| "He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi.[3] |
Andries Odendaal, from Cape Town, created the original character design[2] and the promotional costume was produced by Cora Simpson[citation needed]. The leopard's birth date[citation needed] coincides with a day known and celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa.
The green and yellow (gold) colours of the character match the colours used in South African sport uniforms[4] and can also be seen on the South Africa national football team's kit.
The official motto of Zakumi is "Zakumi's game is Fair Play", first seen in the digital advertisement boards during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, before appearing again in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[5]
Television Show
Following the World Cup, a 20-episode animated series aired called "Zakumi".[6] The series was created by Korean group Jidou Studios, whose YouTube page contains 8 of the first 10 episodes.[7] Limited information remains about the series, and it is considered partially lost.[8]
Controversies
A contract for the manufacture of Zakumi figurines was awarded to a company owned by Dr. Shiaan-Bin Huang, who is an ANC representative member in the South African Parliament.[9][10] The manufacture of the figurines was outsourced to Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products in China.[9] The value of the contract was in excess of US$112 million[citation needed].
Due to concerns over the loss of jobs in the South African manufacturing sector, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) suggested that more merchandise be sourced locally.[11]
The allegation of sweatshop conditions at the Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products factory led to an audit by Global Brands Group (master licensee of the brand FIFA World Cup 2010), which revealed a number of non-compliance issues with policies of GBC.[9] The manufacturer denied the allegations of sweatshop conditions and claimed that the working conditions at the Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products factory were "very good".[12]
See also
- FIFA World Cup mascots
- Fuleco – mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup
- 2010 FIFA World Cup
References
External links
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