Freddy is a Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 animated

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

 weatherman

Weather forecasting

Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...

 on TVB's weather forecasts, for both its English (TVB Pearl) and Chinese (TVB Jade, High Definition Jade and iNews) channels.

Freddy only gives the next day's forecast; the rest of the weather report is given by a human presenter.

Other Markets

Freddy the Forecaster has also been shown in U.S. markets such as KNOE-TV

KNOE-TV

KNOE-TV, Channel 8, is the CBS affiliate television station for Monroe, Louisiana. The station is owned by Hoak Media Corporation, which also controls ABC affiliate KAQY, Channel 11 through a local marketing agreement.-History:KNOE-TV went on the air in 1953...

 in Monroe, Louisiana

Monroe, Louisiana

Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...

; KTVO

KTVO

KTVO is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Honey Lands area of Northeastern Missouri and Southeastern Iowa. Licensed to Kirksville, Missouri, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter northwest of Downing, Missouri along US 136...

 TV in Kirksville, Missouri

Kirksville, Missouri

Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 17,505 at the 2010 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of Truman...

; WJBF

WJBF

WJBF, News Channel 6, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Augusta, Georgia, USA. WJBF is owned by the broadcast division of Media General, and formerly had its studios on Reynolds Street in downtown Augusta for over 50 years before moving to a new location near the Augusta Mall in October...

 in Augusta, Georgia

Augusta, Georgia

Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...

.

Appearance

Freddy wears a yellow suit and has a pink face; his design has not changed over the years except in 1993 when he became computer animated

Computer animation

Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....

.

Freddy may have changed little over the years, but the skyline

Skyline

A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...

 behind him is regularly updated to keep abreast of the ever-changing skyline of Hong Kong. It appears as if he is walking on the water surface of Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...

. As of January 2008, in keeping with the HDTV trend, Freddy was upgrade to his third incarnation, with a redder hairdo and paler yellow suit.

Freddy and the weather

Freddy's actions gives a short forecast of the next day's weather:

• In case of extreme sunshine, he gets burnt;
• In case of lightning, he gets electrocuted and runs away;
• In case of rain, the rainclouds become towels and wring water out;
• In case of heavy rain, his umbrella breaks;
• In case of strong winds, he is blown away;
• In case of cold, he turns to ice; and
• In case of fog, he holds up a lantern for light.

At the same time, there are various sound effects including falling rain, thunder, blowing wind, footsteps, and Freddy's whistling and reactive cries such as "oooh", "aaah" and "awww".

Dispute

During the 1980s weather reports, in case of fine weather Freddy would pick flowers, which was criticised as an example of destroying public property. After receiving complaints, TVB changed this in the 1990s to him walking and whistling merrily.