AP, Russia :
It took an angry-looking bird to get Brazilians hooked on their World Cup mascot.
The team’s new mascot – a yellow canary with an angry face that represents some of the fans’ frustration after having lost the World Cup at home four years ago – has become a huge sensation everywhere it goes in Russia.
Fans unofficially dubbed it the “Canarinho Pistola,” which translates to “Pissed Off Little Canary” or “Angry Little Canary.”
“Man, what a character he is,” Brazil coach Tite said. “He has his own charisma.”
The bird, always dressed in Brazil’s traditional yellow and blue uniform, resembles an angry-faced Tweety, the Looney Tunes character from Warner Bros. It boasts a “bad boy” attitude and a tough-looking walk, contrasting to the cute image of the unpopular canary that had always represented the national team.
Brazil historically never fully embraced the tradition of mascots in sports, but things changed when the Brazilian soccer federation – inspired in part by Chicago Bull’s “Benny the Bull” – turned its nice little canary into a mad-looking figure to try to bring fans closer to the “Selecao” ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
It took an angry-looking bird to get Brazilians hooked on their World Cup mascot.
The team’s new mascot – a yellow canary with an angry face that represents some of the fans’ frustration after having lost the World Cup at home four years ago – has become a huge sensation everywhere it goes in Russia.
Fans unofficially dubbed it the “Canarinho Pistola,” which translates to “Pissed Off Little Canary” or “Angry Little Canary.”
“Man, what a character he is,” Brazil coach Tite said. “He has his own charisma.”
The bird, always dressed in Brazil’s traditional yellow and blue uniform, resembles an angry-faced Tweety, the Looney Tunes character from Warner Bros. It boasts a “bad boy” attitude and a tough-looking walk, contrasting to the cute image of the unpopular canary that had always represented the national team.
Brazil historically never fully embraced the tradition of mascots in sports, but things changed when the Brazilian soccer federation – inspired in part by Chicago Bull’s “Benny the Bull” – turned its nice little canary into a mad-looking figure to try to bring fans closer to the “Selecao” ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
