A.U (阿U or 阿优) is a Chinese media franchise comprising comedy manhua, cartoons and games that was introduced in 2009.[1] It is a brand owned by Hangzhou A.U Cultural Creativity Co., Ltd. It centers on a boy of the same name and his friends.[2]
Characters edit
- A.U (阿U) - A red-haired boy who is curious, naughty, and loving.
- Pangzi (胖仔) - A fat boy who loves to eat.
- Amei (阿美) - A girl who is pretty and smart.
- Nanrenpo (男人婆) - A tomboy who is straightforward.
Comics and animation edit
A.U comic books were first published by Zhejiang Juvenile and Children's Publishing House in 2011, and as of 2013 over 100 million copies were sold.[3] The first A.U animated series premiered on China Central Television in August 2012 and A.U cartoons have since become popular.[1] In 2014, the fifth season (阿U之神奇萝卜) introduced rabbit characters to the show.
Merchandising and games edit
There is an A.U clothing brand for children with the chief designer being Yves Castaldi.[4] Other branded products include snacks, footwear, and wallpaper. Electronic educational devices for young children including a smart rabbit-like robot called A.U Rabbit for families[5] have also been released.[6] There are A.U games on the Apple App Store and the A.U electronic devices.[1] Brand awareness for A.U among primary school students had reached 63.3%.[7]
Theme park edit
A theme park called A.U Cartoon Island (阿U国际卡通岛) in Xianghu Lake in Hangzhou was planned and would feature digital interactivity.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "阿U幼教机器人、阿U童鞋全新发布" (in Chinese). Sina. 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ "Profile". 66uu.cn. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ "《阿U》动画团队落户湘湖" (in Chinese). Hangzhou Daily Press. 2013-04-01. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ ""阿U童装"品牌的2013秋冬季订货会即将在杭州萧山举行". 180kids.com (in Chinese). 2013-04-26. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ "Cartoon & animation Gene of HZ". Hangzhou Daily Press. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ "一只会说话的兔子：阿U兔智儿童智能机器人正式发布". Iyiou.com (in Chinese). 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
- ^ "阿U兔儿童陪伴机器人正式开售 萌翻登陆南京". Beijing Morning Post (in Chinese). 2016-12-28. Archived from the original on 2016-12-29. Retrieved 2016-12-31.