What Do You Think?

So clearly I’ve been under a rock these last few days, as this completely flew by me. Apparently we now have an official mascot for the Fifa 2010 Soccer World Cup.

His name is Zakumi and he is a leopard with green hair, overly large feet, and a slightly creepy grin on his face.

Zakumi - Would You Trust Him Alone With Your Kids?

I suppose in the greater scheme of things he doesn’t look too bad. I had a horrible fear that our mascot would be some sort of hybrid “Big Five” creature, with the South African national flag somehow etched over him in some sort of multi-coloured safari suit. But no, thankfully this never happened.

Check him out at his official unveiling in the video below. Also, pay special attention to Phil Masinga, who decides that “F**k it, I’m not just going to stand here and get interviewed, I’m going to do a little dance too.”:

So apparently Zakumi means “Come To Me” in one of our official languages, which is a clever little fact to throw at people when there is a lull at the dinner party.

In the upcoming months we will be bombarded with his images in media and various merchandise, which I’m not entirely comfortable with. Maybe I’m really tired right now, but he just seems to give off a bit of a “child molester” vibe.

Am I off the mark here?

Shaun Oakes

This was written by the hulking mass of manliness known as Shaun Oakes. If you enjoyed what he had to say, you owe it to yourself to follow him on Twitter at @shaunoakes. Do it now.