Perry the multi-coloured bull to be Birmingham 2022 mascot
A bull adorned with a patchwork of multi-coloured hexagons called Perry has been revealed as the official mascot of next year’s Commonwealth Games.
The mascot is based upon the design of 10-year-old Emma Lou, winner of a national design competition that took place last summer.
The competition tasked children aged five to 15 with creating a mascot that reflects the identity, heritage and culture of Birmingham and the West Midlands.
The bull is the animal with which Birmingham has been synonymous for centuries.
The city has had a market area known as the Bull Ring since the 16th century and the site is close to the current Bullring shopping centre, with an iconic bronze bull statue at its entrance.
Perry is named after the Perry Barr area of Birmingham, the home of the Alexander Stadium, which is currently undergoing a £72 million ($99 million/€83 million) renovation so it will be ready to host the athletics events at the Commonwealth Games, as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
It is claimed that the mascot’s rainbow-coloured hexagons represent the coming together of the Commonwealth in equal partnership with the diverse communities of Birmingham and the West Midlands at the Games in 2022, due to take place between July 28 and August 8.
Perry is wearing a medal, designed to reference Birmingham’s iconic Jewellery Quarter, the United Kingdom’s centre for jewellery and precious metals for more than 200 years.
The area still produces around 40 per cent of the country’s jewellery and is home to one of the world’s largest Assay Offices, hallmarking millions of gold, silver and platinum items each year.
The mascot’s sports kit includes blue, red and yellow stripes, a nod to the colours of the official flag of Birmingham, and the city’s motto, “Forward.”
Perry will become the first mascot at any multi-sport Games who will be brought to life through augmented reality, giving people the opportunity to #PoseWithPerry using their mobile phone camera, and via a special filter on Facebook and Instagram.
Users can summon an animated, 3D version of Perry into their living rooms, pose for pictures with him, and can share their photos on social media.
An animated video telling the story of Perry’s personality and characteristics has also been unveiled today.
The animation is narrated by comedian Guz Khan, creator and star of critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Man Like Mobeen, a comedic take on life in inner city Birmingham.
Perry joins a family that stretches back to Edmonton 1978 when Keyano, a grizzly bear, became the first Commonwealth Games mascot.
Mascots at previous Commonwealth Games hosted in the UK have been a Scottie dog at Edinburgh 1986 and a cat at Manchester 2002.
Glasgow 2014 became the first Commonwealth Games to choose a mascot that was not representative of an animal when they had the hugely popular Clyde, a thistle.
Other mascots have included a kangaroo at Brisbane 1982, kiwi at Auckland 1990, a killer whale at Victoria 1988, an orangutan at Kuala Lumpur 1998, a red-tailed black cockatoo at Melbourne 2006 and a tiger at Delhi 2010.
A bright blue koala called Borobi was official mascot for the last Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast 2018.
Source: Inside the Games