McMug
Encyclopedia
McMug is a cartoon
pig
who first appeared in Mingpao
weekly magazine in 1988. The graphics are drawn by Hong Kong
cartoonist Alice Mak
(麥家碧) with stories written by Brian Tse
(謝立文). Although McMug comics
look somewhat childish, they cover more serious social topics, including death, poverty, unskilled labour and single-parent families, and makes its audience far beyond children. The plotlines are also known for covering local cultural festivals, and celebrities, reflecting the deep roots of Hong Kong culture.
Today 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.
, 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 that were on the island for a holiday.
McMug has oral ability, calling the couples Papa and Mama. The couples were Robin Hood
figures when they are young, named BugBug. They count Superman as well as Superwoman amongst their friends.
, 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).
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
who first appeared in Mingpao
Ming Pao
Ming Pao is a Chinese language newspaper published by Ming Pao Group in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, Ming Pao established four overseas branches in North America, each provides independent reporting on local news and collect local advertisements. Currently, only the two Canadian editions remain: Ming...
weekly magazine in 1988. The graphics are drawn by 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...
cartoonist Alice Mak
Alice Mak
Alice Mak is an artist and cartoonist. She is one of the two creators of the cartoon characters McMug and McDull.The animated films My Life as McDull and McDull, Prince de la Bun have received numerous awards....
(麥家碧) with stories written by Brian Tse
Brian Tse
Brian Tse is the author of the Hong Kong children comic, "McMug and McDull" series. He is one of the two creators of the cartoon characters McMug and McDull. His wife is responsible for the illustration...
(謝立文). Although McMug comics
Manhua
Manhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
look somewhat childish, they cover more serious social topics, including death, poverty, unskilled labour and single-parent families, and makes its audience far beyond children. The plotlines are also known for covering local cultural festivals, and celebrities, reflecting the deep roots of Hong Kong culture.
Today 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
McDull
McDull is a cartoon pig character that was created in Hong Kong by Alice Mak and Brian Tse. Although McDull made his first appearances as a supporting character in the McMug comics, McDull has since become a central character in his own right, attracting a huge following in Hong Kong.-McDull's...
, is also enjoying huge success.
Family
McMug, who grew up on Lantau IslandLantau Island
Lantau Island , based on the old local name of Lantau Peak , is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong...
, 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 that were on the island for a holiday.
McMug has oral ability, calling the couples Papa and Mama. The couples were Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
figures when they are young, named BugBug. They count Superman as well as Superwoman amongst their friends.
Friends
McMug has its school life in a kindergarten named Springfield Flowers Kindergarten. He has been studying in kindergarten for 8 years, a pretty long time.- Lisa, a wild boar, is McMug's penfriend.
- Darby, a tomcatCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, is his classmate. - Goosie, a gooseGooseThe word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
, is known for kindness. - Fai, a tortoiseTortoiseTortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
, is loyal to friends. - May is a cow.
- June is a female hippopotamusHippopotamusThe hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
who always hangs out with May. They work out together. - McDullMcDullMcDull is a cartoon pig character that was created in Hong Kong by Alice Mak and Brian Tse. Although McDull made his first appearances as a supporting character in the McMug comics, McDull has since become a central character in his own right, attracting a huge following in Hong Kong.-McDull's...
, McMug's only pig friend, who is even sillier than McMug. Early stories suggested that McDull and McMug are distant cousins. - Miss Chan, a human teacher.
- The Principal, a middle-age man who founded the Springfield Flowers Kindergarten and became its Principal. Incidentally, he also opened a noodle shop in McDull's story. According to one story, he founded the kindergarten in order to provide a teaching position for his wife, who was migrating to Hong Kong from the Mainland.
Social impact
McMug is rare in that it is a comic dedicated to cover social issues and local contemporary culture.McMug Comic Books
- Fairy Tales for the Adults (麥嘜成人童話)
- The Flying Pig (麥嘜天空飛豬)
- The Dinosaur's Love Song (麥嘜恐龍戀曲)
- The Three Pigs (麥嘜三隻小豬)
- Gloves (麥嘜絨裡手套)
- The Youth Song (麥嘜青春舞曲)
- Bygones as Dreams (麥嘜舊歡如夢)
- McMug Poems' Collection (麥嘜詩畫選)
- McMug's Little Stories (麥嘜感人至深小故事)
- Sort-of Blue Sub-tropics (麥嘜算憂鬱亞熱帶)
- Micro-fiction (麥嘜微小小說)
- Springfield Flowers Kindergarten (春天花花幼稚園)
- McMug Chun Tin Fa Fa Stories (麥嘜春田花花)
- McMug Comic Strips (1) Stories (麥嘜格格漫畫 (1))
- McMug Comics Stories - Sampler (麥嘜漫畫 - Sampler)
- McMug's Collection of Games to be Played When Bored (麥嘜無聊才玩遊戲集)
- 春田花花幼稚園 マクダルとマクマグ(2006 Japan）
McMug Songs
- 《月光光》
- 《 腳瓜大顫——中國人好腳法》
- 《一定得》
- 《麥兜與雞》
- 《黎根之歌》
- 《我個名叫麥兜兜》
- 《春田花花幼兒園主題歌》
- 《麥嘜唱ABC》
- 《大包整多兩籠》
- 《麥兜與豬腩肉》
McMug products
In 2005, the Circle-K convenience storeConvenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
, together with Bliss (the company that owns the copyright to the McDull
McDull
McDull is a cartoon pig character that was created in Hong Kong by Alice Mak and Brian Tse. Although McDull made his first appearances as a supporting character in the McMug comics, McDull has since become a central character in his own right, attracting a huge following in Hong Kong.-McDull's...
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
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
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).