Is it the eyes? Are they following me around? [First published May 18, 2014] The official villain of this blog is the landlord of my apartment (the guy who took the air conditioning unit out of the bedroom) but I'm adding a backup auxiliary nemesis: Pleasant Goat, star of the hit TV series "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf."
Pleasant Goat (also known as Happy Goat) is everywhere. On little ride-on toys in front of the convenience stores and on bouncy castles like this one in front of the Walmart. He's on clothes, shoes, strollers, snacks, pencil cases, hats -- I'll bet that you could not walk a single block in downtown Zibo without finding a representation of Pleasant Goat somewhere.
Pleasant Goat (also known as Happy Goat) is everywhere. On little ride-on toys in front of the convenience stores and on bouncy castles like this one in front of the Walmart. He's on clothes, shoes, strollers, snacks, pencil cases, hats -- I'll bet that you could not walk a single block in downtown Zibo without finding a representation of Pleasant Goat somewhere.
So I am slightly coulrophobic,* and that extends to feeling uncomfortable around mascots or people who dress in gorilla suits and wave signs at the side of the road to advertise a store. Pleasant Goat gives me that same uncomfortable feeling. It's not utter panic, just a desire to look away and leave any area where I can see his blank eyes. And that extends to all of his friends, including Beauty Goat, Fitty Goat, and all of his other pals in Lamb Village.
Remarkably, considering his complete saturation of the kids' market here, Pleasant Goat has only been around since July of 2005. In contrast, Hello Kitty debuted in the mid-seventies. According to current parlance, we should start saying "the iconic Hello Kitty," I believe.
Remarkably, considering his complete saturation of the kids' market here, Pleasant Goat has only been around since July of 2005. In contrast, Hello Kitty debuted in the mid-seventies. According to current parlance, we should start saying "the iconic Hello Kitty," I believe.
And since I like Hello Kitty and Thomas the Tank Engine (seen here in a public park in Linzi District with Beauty Goat lurking behind him), it's clear that there is something peculiar about Pleasant Goat and all his minions.
Pleasant Goat is the creation of a Canadian-trained animator, Huang Weiming, who seems like a perfectly decent guy. It must really be an amazing feeling to know that a quick little doodle that you drew has become a character beloved by millions of children.
While I'm merely wary of Pleasant Goat, turns out that the Chinese leadership might actually feel threatened, as they do when anything becomes uncontrollably popular with the public. They have attacked the cartoon series, calling it excessively violent: "Big Big Wolf had been physically assaulted with a frying pan on at least 9,544 occasions, the government news agency Xinhua reported... [while] Pleasant Goat had been boiled alive in water 839 times and received no fewer than 1,755 electric shocks."
*coulrophobia == fear of clowns
Pleasant Goat is the creation of a Canadian-trained animator, Huang Weiming, who seems like a perfectly decent guy. It must really be an amazing feeling to know that a quick little doodle that you drew has become a character beloved by millions of children.
While I'm merely wary of Pleasant Goat, turns out that the Chinese leadership might actually feel threatened, as they do when anything becomes uncontrollably popular with the public. They have attacked the cartoon series, calling it excessively violent: "Big Big Wolf had been physically assaulted with a frying pan on at least 9,544 occasions, the government news agency Xinhua reported... [while] Pleasant Goat had been boiled alive in water 839 times and received no fewer than 1,755 electric shocks."
*coulrophobia == fear of clowns
RSS Feed