Zakumi : Fifa's official 2010 Mascot
Zakumi’s official motto is :
“Zakumi’s game is Fair Play.”
Picture Courtesy of Shireen Desai
What exactly is Zakumi?
Zakumi (born 16 June 1994 (1994-06-16) (age 15)) is the Official Mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The name ‘Zakumi’ is a composition of ‘ZA’ standing for South Africa and ‘kumi’, which translates translates into ‘10′ in various languages across Africa. – via Fifa.com - Zakumi: A mascot with attitude
2010 has been showcased as a year that would take South Africa to an all new level of international tourism and soccer. Zakumi is the official Mascot for the Fifa 2010 Soccer World Cup. Since the launch of the Zakumi image, people have expressed their opinions and some have been unfavourable. In this age of technological advancements many feel that the zakumi illustration could have warranted a more lifelike depiction of a cheetah (Cheetahs don’t have green manes)
Why does Zakumi have a green mane?
Zakumi loves football. At one time he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness! – source
When compared to previous Fifa World Cup mascots Zakumi seems to be the most well dress and least cereal box character. Here are all the mascots in World Cup history. It was invented to the 1966 tournament in England. And from then on, each World Cup has had one (or two as in 1974). They have been popular symbols, and millions of people have bought copies of them
and now there’s Zakumi
Trivia for soccer fans: Can you name all the FIFA mascots?
“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,”-
-Lucas Radebe (South African football icon and close friend of Zakumi)
Ladduuuummmaa!!!!!!!!
**’Laduma!’ is the South African equivalent to ‘Goal!’
I’m not a massive fan but props to those involved for the innovation – especially with the name
i like the stuffed toys
they look good. But i think we could’ve done better with the illustration.
Im a fan of the Liion but the color combination is dull and the design is a tad bit doff.. Dunno if its a lion tho.. Judging from the spots..
And they shouldve had th eofficial ball in his hand not some artsy rip off..
The Germany mascot was a lion, and it was an epic fail! Im hoping zakumi will fare better – any idea about the gender though?
or is it a semenya cheetah?
According to the Fifa website, its male
I liked the dog for the 1994 World Cup…this one, not really.
I do feel sorry for people who have to dress up in those mascot outfits, though….
I liked the dog too
what did they use in 08?
Stryker was the 1994 mascot
I’m not the biggest fan of zakumi..Think they could of done a better job.
Very interesting take on things…I love reading your site. I cant wait until the world cup! Summer 2010 baby!