MUMBAI: The mascot of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2011 is an elephant who is young, enthusiastic and determined.
Unveiled at a function in Colombo, the mascot thinks that cricket is the most fun game in the world. The elephant loves playing street cricket and would play throughout the day if he could.
Cricket-followers based in the the host nations – India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – will be able to participate in a contest to name the mascot.
Tournament director Prof. RS Shetty says that the idea of the mascot is to crystallise the feelings and action of the sport and the fans in a graphic form that reflects the visceral tone and emotion that cricket creates in its followers, especially in an event like the CWC.
It also emphasises the enthusiasm of youth both in general and for cricket itself, especially on the sub-continent with its massive and dedicated following. He‘s stylised to give an instantly recognisable graphic strength so that with exposure his bold lines and strong colouring will instantly create a friendly face for the CWC.
The mascot is not just an animated character; it must operate without the back-story one would find in a film or show; it needs to get a personality across without speech or word balloons, and the majority of the time it needs to work in a context such as the many printed applications where the only tools are body language/pose and personality.
The mascot loves street cricket, playing or just hanging out with his friends, radio (to listen to the game), street cricket, television (to watch the game or play it on a console), the net (to research the stats!), going for a dip when it‘s hot, and uh, street Cricket. And oh boy, when he gets to go to the game.
Some times he gets a bit over-enthusiastic and tries to remember not to blow his own trumpet! He‘s getting better at that, though, and like his heroes he knows it‘s all about the training and these things come with time. And it all adds up to the ultimate, the big time like the Cricket World Cup, where one day he‘ll show the whole world what he can do, and how much he loves his sport! After all Cricket World Cup is ‘The Cup that Counts!’
