| McMug | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 麥嘜 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 麦唛 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
McMug (Chinese: 麥嘜) is an anthropomorphic pig cartoon character from Hong Kong featured in comic strips, TV shows, and films. McMug first appeared in 1988, as the central character of a comic strip printed in the Ming Pao weekly magazine. McMug is drawn by cartoonist Alice Mak (麥家碧), with stories written by Brian Tse (謝立文).
Although McMug comics have a somewhat childish style, they often address serious social issues, including death, poverty, and single-parent families, making it resonate with adult audiences as well as children. The plotlines are also known for covering local cultural festivals, and celebrities, reflecting the deep roots of Hong Kong culture.[1]
McMug has become one of the most popular cartoon figures in Hong Kong, appearing in books, movies, TV programs, stationery, bedding and apparently everything else that fits. McMug's distant cousin, McDull, is also enjoying huge success.
McMug, who grew up on Lantau Island, was adopted when he was only one month old. In a thundery night, all panicky pigs fled from the farm, and among them was McMug who was picked up by a couple who were on the island for a holiday.
McMug can speak. He calls his parents Papa and Mama. The couples were Robin Hood figures when they were young, named BugBug. They count Superman as well as Superwoman amongst their friends.
McMug has his school life in a kindergarten named Springfield Flowers Kindergarten (春田花花幼稚園). He has been studying in kindergarten for 8 years.
McMug is rare in that it is a comic dedicated to cover social issues and local contemporary culture.[citation needed]
In 2005, the Circle-K convenience store, together with Bliss (the company that owns the copyright to the McDull and McMug series), launched a marketing campaign named "McMug Spell-it-out" (Chinese: 麥嘜任你串; lit. 'Spell it out with McMug'). For any purchase in Circle-K exceeding HK$20, the customer gets a badge with a picture of McMug (or its friends) and a silly motto sheet. The complete set of these badges features the 26 English letters A–Z, plus additional "secret" designs featuring a heart (with Goosie), an exclamation mark (with Darby), a question mark (with Fai), and an ampersand (with May and June).