A GIF rabbit often appears before signing a contract, and I don't know its name.

Tuschi

[Edit this paragraph]

Brief introduction of Taskey

A little girl who is not good at words drew it herself. We can express ourselves with these pictures. Everyone is teething, thinking about twisting two noodles-like arms and doing all kinds of lovely actions.

On QQ and MSN, which accompany us every day, we want to do actions with each other through the network, such as wiping sweat, fainting, shedding tears … to express various emotions. But typing alone is far from enough to convey these actions. At this time, an expression can convey our meaning happily, and the body language of animation has played an unexpected role at this time.

[Taskey emoticon]

Sharp expression

Recently, the most popular MSN expression is Tusky, a rabbit with long and thin ears, a strange face and two noodles-like arms doing funny actions.

Tusk's creator is Wang Maomao, a little girl who graduated from the Animation Department of Beijing Broadcasting Institute. She is usually taciturn. When she is emotional in her life, she always wants to express her thoughts with exaggerated movements, but she is embarrassed to do so, so she draws these movements as this rabbit. Later, this rabbit was widely circulated on the Internet, and everyone used this rabbit to express their exaggerated actions, which was unexpected by Wang Maomao.

Author Mao Mao

[Taskey dances Latin]

Taskey dances Latin dance.

Wang Maomao (Momo)

Date of birth: 85. 12.3

Constellation: Sagittarius

Blood type: type A.

Height: 1.7 1

School: Graduated from Animation Department of Beijing Broadcasting Institute in 2004.

Hate: radish, cabbage and sweet things.

Like: painting, daydreaming, folding grand piano.

[Edit this paragraph]

Interview report

1. Taskey lies on the back of the six-degree theory.

Main author: Shang Jin.

/kloc-0.5 billion and 20 million, which are the total number of active registered users of Tencent QQ and Microsoft MSN. As the two instant messaging softwares most used on the Internet in China, QQ and MSN have already formed a unique network culture in China. In addition to the official images of QQ Penguins and MSN Faceless Villains, Tusky became explosive in early 2007. When people communicate with each other, they directly quote Tusk's various expressions to express their online feelings. This cartoon-like image promotion has had a catalytic relationship with the Internet. The six-degree theory of connecting people and communities described by American psychologist Stanley Milgram in 1960s can be fully applied to Tuschi. There is no need to form a interpersonal communication cycle between every six people. On the Internet in China, an average of 4.8 people can exchange instant messaging software. At the beginning of 2007, Taskey, the hottest on the Internet, was a typical live model. Where did Taskey come from? To this end, we found Wang Maomao, a junior at China Communication University. This 2 1 year-old girl is the creator of Tuschi's image.

Sanlian Life Weekly: Why did you design the image of Taskey in the first place? Was it influenced before that?

Wang Maomao: When I was a child, my friends and classmates around me called me "Rabbit". It is said that it looks like a god. Later, I went to college to write a blog and chose painting to record my life. In fact, the rabbit I drew at the beginning was myself, which recorded the interesting things I encountered in real life. Later, the rabbit image in the photo diary became more and more abundant, and gradually had its own personality, which was very similar to me in reality, but not exactly the same. So, I slowly regard it as an independent individual, give him more and more things that belong to me, and express his joys and sorrows through various body languages. He has teeth.

Sanlian Life Weekly: Many people think that after more than ten years of transition without obvious works, China's old-fashioned film-making animation has produced many animation images overnight on the Internet, which is created by the unique communication mechanism of the Internet. what do you think?

Wang Maomao: Yes, that's true. In the past, the animations displayed on the screen were all deep houses, and the threshold was not something that ordinary people could step into. Too many people who are full of feelings for animation can only be a lifetime audience. The Internet gives everyone the right to speak and the opportunity to make their works public. Good things in the network will spread quickly and gain unexpected popularity in a short time. This is how Tusk was inadvertently spread by friends on the Internet.

Sanlian Life Weekly: We have noticed that the spread and operation of Tuschi's image is very tracked, including the emergence of the design company's mechanism, and the poster and postcard business of Tuschi has appeared on the Internet. What do you want to do in the end? Was it originally for commercial purposes?

Wang Maomao: At first, Taskey's creation was just out of his own hobby, and had no commercial purpose at all. Later, posters, postcards and other derivatives were only made out of interest. At first, they were private gifts for friends. However, it is precisely because of the unexpected recognition of these works that we can see the market potential of Taskey. After that, we injected some commercial operation mechanisms to better protect Taskey and promote Taskey.

Sanlian Life Weekly: In addition to fun, in the new animation craze driven by the Internet, apart from the game mentality and superficial spoof, it seems that there is no deeper connotation, lack of storyline and deep thoughts you want to express.

Wang Maomao: On the Internet, news is so easy to get and so rich that every new work (whether text, pictures or videos) can hardly attract readers' attention for a long time. Works that can't impress people at the first time almost lose the opportunity to be understood or even paid attention to. I think it is based on this environment that Taskey, who is simple, jumping but has some personality, was discovered and recognized by everyone. In my understanding, whether an anime image has connotation or not, and whether to express "profound thoughts" is not necessarily based on complicated and tortuous stories. Even simple expressions and actions can reveal the feelings and personalities of characters. I don't think we have reached the point where we can challenge a mature animation industry. Comparatively speaking, Tusky seems to have more opportunities in animation products and derivatives, which may break the long-standing institutional addiction of China animation industry.

Sanlian Life Weekly: At present, our life seems to be full of all kinds of cartoon images, which are almost flooded. Onions were popular on msn last year, but now they have become fangs overnight. Have you thought about next year? Taskey was drowned by something else.

Wang Maomao: Many cartoon images that once swept the Internet soon declined. I think on the one hand, the enthusiasm and inspiration of the creator can't keep the freshness, which leads to the stop of updating or the decline of the quality of the works, which disappoints the readers; On the other hand, something new, better or in line with the pulse of the times has appeared, which has won the love of online readers who like the new and hate the old in the internet age. I still have confidence that at least next year, I will continue to draw and constantly improve the creative level of Tuschi's series of works. It is really impossible to predict whether Tusky will be submerged in the trendy Wang Yang of network animation. Internet animation images are always producing high-quality products, which can only inspire me to surpass myself.

2. Sunday Morning News (hereinafter referred to as Sunday): When we called your agent, he said that your handwriting was extremely bad and you could only interview by email. I'm curious, how did a quiet little girl draw so many interesting rabbits? Introduce yourself. Living, painting, playing, eating, blogging, reading, looking at other people's paintings?

Wang Maomao: I like Shou Tajima's Detective with Multiple Personalities. I like works with unique expressions and profound themes. There seems to be no time to settle down and read pure literature. Read fashion magazines, such as milk, when you have time. The most touching movie I have seen recently is perfume black boy. I'm really not good at words, and I can draw many stories because something that can't be expressed in words needs to be told with a brush. Life is simple, you have summed it up. Apart from the basic life of an ordinary student, I spend most of my time painting.

Sunday: Why is Taskey called Taskey? Tuschi reminds me of the Soviets, as well as the spoof films "October Separation" and "Minsky, Cui Yongyuan" made by CCTV hosts. Is there any story about the origin of this name?

Wang Maomao: When I was a child, I liked a short story called "Please spell my name with" s ". In the story, the protagonist Zebatisky changed his name "Z" to "S", and his fate changed greatly from then on. Because of this story, I have a strong feeling for the suffix of the name "Ski", so my rabbit is called Tusky.

Sunday: Why did you draw rabbits in the first place? Don't draw other small animals? Can you tell me about the birth of Taskey?

Wang Maomao: When I was a child, my friends and classmates called me "Rabbit". It is said that he looks like a fairy, and I like this lovely nickname myself. After I went to college, I started a blog and chose painting as a good form to record my life. At first, the rabbit I drew was myself, which recorded the interesting, sensible and fun things I met in real life. Later, the rabbit image in the photo diary became more and more abundant, and gradually developed its own personality, which was very similar to me in reality, but not exactly the same. So, I slowly regard it as an independent individual, give it more and more things that belong to me, and express its joys and sorrows through various body languages.

Sunday: What inspiration did Taskey get from those moves? How are these body languages conceived, recorded and expressed?

Wang Maomao: Taskey's ideas come from his life. In fact, everyone will encounter many things every day, and will be moved and touched. It's just that many times, these emotional waves are inadvertently forgotten by us. I chose painting. For me, painting is no different from the diary in my life. Pick up a pen and pour out yesterday's things to dry; So I have the opportunity to get rid of impulse and confusion and record things that are really worth thinking about and remembering. I really want to express my emotions with those exaggerated and funny actions when I encounter something, but in real life, I am embarrassed to do that. So I drew these movements on Taskey, and he helped me draw them.

Sunday: We noticed that many of China's previous cartoons were concrete and detailed, but the actions were not rich and vivid enough. For example, the Monkey King's gesture of scratching his head always looks the same, but now many cartoons are characterized by exaggerated movements and body language. I think the most successful thing about Tusky is that it has performed so many vivid movements that everyone likes it. I would like to ask you what you think of such a change. What caused this feature?

Wang Maomao: A few years ago, animation was only an area that a few professional teams could set foot in. That state, on the one hand, has achieved exquisite pictures and fine craftsmanship; On the other hand, the wonderful ideas of many amateur animators (amateurs) are blocked out. Flash is a convenient animation tool, which is easy to learn and use. The Internet is a medium where everyone has the opportunity to publish their works. These new things have created a brand-new environment, giving every animator the right to speak and the opportunity to make his works public. As a result, diversified works came into being. Among them, those different from traditional animation art may get more attention, but I think the works that are truly recognized are not because of style and techniques; But because readers (or netizens) have a clear mind.

Sunday: Talk about the business prospects of rabbits. What are your expectations? What's your innovation plan?

Wang Maomao: At the end of last year, some teething notebooks, postcards and posters were printed as New Year gifts for friends. Later, the rest was put in our Taobao store, and the sales were unexpectedly hot.

However, so far, the economic returns from the sales around Tusky are still negligible, but we will continue to work hard to launch more Tusky derivative products.

Wang Maomao: Who doesn't want to be as comfortable as Taskey?

Without Taskey, Wang Maomao, a junior girl from the Animation College of Communication University of China, is just an ordinary girl-a typical post-80s Internet bug who spends most of her time with the computer, either chatting online or drawing a rabbit named Taskey in her blog.

On June+10 last year, Mao Mao decided to integrate his online life, so he created a batch of "fangs" emoticons and sent them to netizens on QQ and MSN. Bunny can do exercises such as broadcast gymnastics, farting, chest shaking and fainting, which is much more vivid than typing. Gestures are full of the little girl's playfulness, reminiscent of cherry maruko, and a bit of Stephen Chow's nonsense. What she didn't expect was that a few days later, QQ and MSN began to make a "rabbit disaster" at the same time, and several sketched "rabbit-based" expressions began to become popular on the Internet.

In mid-June, the reporter finally found Wang Maomao, the maker of Taskey.

"I'm never nervous on stage. Nervous people have stepped down. "

Taskey's home is in a creative warehouse on Guanghua Road. There are three people in charge. Wang Maomao is responsible for designing images and telling stories. His field of work is mainly in his own blog, and nothing else is important. "Senior Brother" Martin is responsible for packaging "Taskey", adding color to the image designed by Mao Mao, supporting graphics, and then typesetting it into wallpaper, posters and products; Kaka is responsible for promoting and negotiating business cooperation, which is a bit like Rainbow He Miaomiao's "agent".

In the past, Wang Maomao had another name. She joked that it was "the kind that can't be said after being killed" because she thought it was vulgar. In order to get rid of this common name, Mao Mao and her mother struggled together for 16 years, from primary school to university. Later, when her mother got bored, she left the sentence, "You can change it if you go to college." As a result, as soon as I was admitted to the university, the state issued a decree that people over the age of 16 should not change their names. What a daily refusal! He Miaomiao was named by his partner Kaka through "Taskey". In the zodiac, He Miaomiao is a rabbit, and He Miaomiao is so-and-so, which is random and colorful.

On the afternoon of the interview, Wang Maomao just went to a press conference-Hugh and Mao Mao, producers of "The Bloody Case of Steamed Bread", and another online celebrity endorsed a notebook to introduce the other two. The audience had a great response. When Wang Maomao was introduced, the audience was silent. It was not until the host mentioned "Taskey" that the audience began to get excited. Just after the event, "fans" flocked to ask for a photo with Mao Mao, which scared Kaka to pull Mao Mao away.

Afterwards, Mao Mao complained about Kaka, "I left in such a hurry that I didn't even eat the buffet." Kaka complained about Mao Mao: "As soon as you came on stage, I was sweating like a pig-Kaka said that Mao Mao likes to digress, which is basically a foot in the sky and a foot in the ground. When people asked about the East, she answered the West. "This is not enough. I was asked to open my notebook and feel it. She can't open it on stage. I am sweating under the stage! " Mao Mao narrowed his eyes. "I'm never nervous when I come to power. Nervous people are under the stage. "

"Don't let people recognize me at a glance."

Before the interview, I took photos as usual, but I didn't expect to be opposed by Kaka and Mao Mao. "If you don't shoot, I'll send it to you later and use it when it's repaired." Mao Mao said that he didn't like taking pictures, and he was afraid that his appearance in the newspaper would have a bad influence.

"What's the matter?" "Easy to recognize."

"Is it not good to recognize it?" "I am still a student and don't want to be famous."

"What's wrong with being famous?" "What are the benefits of being famous?"

After a long negotiation, Mao Mao agreed to take photos, but it must be "artistic", and the photos taken would be unrecognizable at first sight. According to this idea, Kaka helped design a photo of work materials. The result is not good, only one eye is exposed, which is a bit strange. "Why don't you film me crawling out of the computer?"

So, I began to make a fuss about fangs. As the original place of Taskey, there really aren't many props here. The only shocking thing is a framed poster of Taskey in the filing cabinet. Kaka asked He Miaomiao to cross his hands on the poster, put his hand on his arm, and then smiled again. As a result, he was strongly opposed by He Miaomiao. "Wearing braces, smiling without a word, like a silent lamb ..." I was busy for half an hour and finally took a happy photo. In the meantime, I was tossed several times, which was annoying but I tried my best to cooperate. It can be seen that this girl is excellent.

"A painter's hand is faster than his mouth."

Mao Mao said that he was a typical painter, and his head turned the fastest, followed by his hands and then his mouth. This kind of person usually has two ends. One is that when he is squeezed by others, he has no time to talk back and can only do actions. Mao Mao often uses the classic action of "Taskey" as his counterattack weapon. When he quarreled with Kaka the day before yesterday, he offered the most "deadly" magic weapon-the rabbit fell on the table, which scared Kaka speechless. Second, I love painting rather than talking.

At the age of 4, Mao Mao Jr. went to his neighbor's house to play. When she came back, her mother asked her what she saw. As a result, Mao Mao didn't say anything, but drew a picture, as if a person was squatting by the machine. After Mao Mao's explanation, she realized that her neighbor's uncle was sending a fax. At the age of 4, Mao Mao began to enter and leave the painting class in the juvenile hall, and entered the art special class in junior high school. He spends half his time studying culture and half his time studying art every day, and his high school goes directly to Tianjin Art High School. Later, it was natural to be admitted to the Animation College of Communication University of China. "No matter what others do, I am the kind of person who likes painting since I was a child."

Remember, Taskey is a man.

Kaka, a collaborator, commented that Mao Mao is one of the few quiet children majoring in art. "Some people get married as soon as they get married, and some people can't stand the shackles of moving outside, but she attends classes honestly and works on holidays to earn living expenses for herself." He Miaomiao usually doesn't like to talk, but he likes to keep a diary of painting on his blog when he is free. Since last year, a rabbit has gradually become the protagonist of BOLG. Mao Mao named it "Taskey", which was inspired by a Polish novel he read when he was a child. The protagonist of the story changed his name "Z" to "S" and his fate changed greatly from then on. "Because of this story, I have a strong feeling for the suffix' sky'."

Taskey is a man. Since it is a "fangs", it should be a man. But what happened to the "male rabbit" was the story of a female rabbit. Mao Mao will use rabbits to protest against the school. "On a hot day, I still insist on turning off the lights at night 1 1: 30. I don't know how many computers have been smashed! "

A series of blog posts named "Taskey Dangji" are all about Mao Mao's blood and tears. One of them happened in a junior high school in Mao Mao. When Mao Mao came home from school, he met a family of three in rags and said piteously, "Girl, we have no money to go home. You are kind. Give us 100 yuan. " He Miaomiao rummaged through his pockets to find 90 yuan's money, gave it to others, and told his mother to do something good when he got home, so his pocket money was pinched off. Mao Mao said, since then, I have hardly seen any pocket money, until I went to college, and all the lucky money passed. In my mother's words, "how much money I give you must be a lie!" " -Mao Mao said that in the future, we must make a separate book about "being fooled" to remind friends who are kind like her.

Mom watches Taskey's remote monitoring every day.

When I first drew Taskey, it was more complicated than it is now. "tasker" is wearing the pilot's hood, his eyes are not a crack, his eyelids are several layers, his expression is "pulling" and his body is fragmented. There is a scarf of May 4th youth on it, and a sling on the bottom. It takes a day to draw a toy duck in your hand, and your head turns too fast. Before the painting was finished, a new idea appeared and he hit it. Mao Mao said that it takes only one hour to draw a picture now, which is very convenient.

Speaking of it, He Miaomiao and the rabbit are still very predestined. Since childhood, her nickname is also related to "rabbit". As for which image, it is not clear. In the past, her teeth might have been a bit clumsy. Junior high school also wore braces for this. These days, Mao Mao has made up his mind to completely correct his teeth. When he first put on braces, he had to take painkillers every day to relieve the pain. He can't eat rice, only porridge. In a rage, bolger's "Taskey" also wore braces in June 13. Faced with carrots and bananas, the poor rabbit can only shed tears and drool. As a result, the rabbit got angry and vowed not to eat anything online-hunger strike!

This scared the offline mother. I called Mao Mao many times and told her that she couldn't help eating. Health is the capital of revolution. "She not only reads my blog every day, but also reads other people's links. After reading it, she will send a few short messages of two or three hundred words. " Because bolger was monitored remotely by his mother, Mao Mao said it was unexpected.

Taskey: A Sample of Folk Animation Studio

In the interview, the reporter asked Wang Maomao what plans and thoughts she had for Tusk's future, and she answered two words: "No". She was basically a person who hoped Tusk would be as stupid as herself. In her own words, "Don't come to me except painting". He Miaomiao left all his troubles to Kaka.

Kaka's real name is Niu Kun, and Mao Mao's brother Martin is a partner in a graphic design company. At this time last year, Wang Maomao, a sophomore, entered the company to do odd jobs. At that time, Mao Mao was a temporary worker and Kaka was the boss. Later, "Taskey" came into being, Mao Mao was promoted to be the image partner of "Taskey", and Kaka was demoted to Wang Maomao's agent.

Different from Wang Maomao, Kaka has many considerations and ideas about the development of Taskey, but from the current situation, there is still a long way to go to make this domestic rabbit, like the Korean "rogue rabbit", not only have a good reputation, but also have a market.

The company is still spending money to support Taskey.

Reporter: When was Tusky promoted as a commodity?

C: At the end of last year. At that time, it was purely to prepare a gift for our friends and customers in the New Year, so I sorted out the paintings that Mao Mao had painted before, and then designed a small notebook. Some * * * made 500 copies! There are two or three hundred copies sent out, and the rest is in my hand. Near the New Year in China, Martin proposed to sell the remaining books online. At that time, we still had many small posters of 16. At first, I put 30 books on it, each 25 yuan. I told them that if you can sell these 30 books, you will do it as a matter in the future. Unexpectedly, all the books were sold out the next morning, and then all the books were sold out within a week. Later, we tried to make three T-shirts, ranging from 86 yuan to 2,000 yuan each, and now they are all sold out. Reporter: Did Taskey make money for the company?

Ka: At present, the company's main business is graphic design, and it is still spending money to support Tusky. To tell the truth, I made the first batch of clothes at a loss, and I put too much energy into it. We have to find a supplier to make the small red label on the side of the clothes, the label on the collar and the washing label inside. After all the T-shirts are sold, they are basically flat, and now the clothing production can't supply goods. The most depressing thing is that on the day when the T-shirts were distributed, Mao Mao posted a post on BOLG, telling everyone that the "Taskey" T-shirt was going to be sold, and a manager's address was left beside it. As a result, many netizens objected that the price you set was so expensive. Have you lost any money? Mao Mao felt very depressed and felt sorry for the netizens. I also feel aggrieved, because the investment is really large, even if it is sold in 86 yuan, the cost will not be recovered.

Pirates are even more aware of the value of these cartoon images.

Reporter: Apart from notebooks and clothes, what other cooperation opportunities does Taskey have?

Ca: Now it's all potential. For example, we are talking about flirting with Microsoft's MSN and QQ, but this cooperation process is slow and there is no substantive result yet. QQ officials are also talking to us. The urgent task is to publish a book. Because piracy came out. One day, Mao Mao told me that she saw a book selling Taskey in a street stall with a CD attached. The contents in it were so rough that they were all torn off from the blog. She was still very excited when she spoke, so I was in a hurry. Pirate manufacturers even know how to use the value of these cartoon images better than genuine manufacturers. Their vision has broken through the animation itself and extended to derivative products.

This is the experience of "rogue rabbit" in China. In China, you can see "rogue rabbits" appearing on various commodities, some of which are not even in the country of origin. I don't want Taskey to be like this one day. We hope to cooperate with genuine manufacturers and give you a chance to buy genuine fangs.

National policies have not yet spread to the folk animation industry.

Reporter: Speaking of rogue rabbit, it is not only particularly famous, but also won two national creative awards in Korea. The Korean government also supports it. Do you think Taskey has such a chance?

Chris Anderson: Not yet. The country has been promoting creative industries for the past two years, but it feels a bit far from us. I have also inquired about how to set up a creative company before. Isn't the Gehua Building in the North Second Ring Road the animation industry base in Beijing? I asked around, and it seems that there is no preferential policy. If you stay in the park, the rent is extremely expensive.

Reporter: Why is there no official website in Taskey?

Kurt: We are short of manpower. There are seven or eight people in the company now. They work so hard every day that they have no energy to build official website. In addition, most people who can draw can't do business, and those who can do business don't like cartoon images. They always want to make a lot of money in three to five days. If the two forces cannot appear at the same time, it will cause such a situation. Hh Who can be China's "Bunny"?

At present, the more popular virtual images on the Internet are Shanghai's "tusks" and "leisurely monkeys". Although "Youyou Monkey" has set up its own studio, it is still losing money and making money. Judging from the current situation, it is hard to say what kind of development Taskey will have in a few years. It may be good, but it may disappear.

Zhang, director of Guangdong Animation and Game Industry Research Center, pointed out in an interview: "In fact, both Youxi Monkey and Taskey embarked on the road of getting rich on 200 1, made a fortune on the Internet, and immediately launched related derivatives after being sought after. This road was taken by domestic animators at that time, but why didn't it succeed? " He believes that it is mainly restricted by three links.

The first is the network environment. South Korea's IT industry has developed rapidly, with a population of 46 million and 30 million people using the Internet, ranking among the best in the world. Whenever new technologies appear, the United States also regards South Korea as a test market. A good network environment allows rogue rabbits to spread quickly as soon as they are released. "But today's network level and the proportion of netizens do not constitute the mainstream audience."

Second, a powerful means to combat piracy. After the "rogue rabbit" became famous, related products quickly flooded the wholesale market and retail market. But they are all illegal pirated products without the authorization of the copyright owner. In 2000, CLKO, the author and agent of the rogue rabbit, made no money. Soon after, the Korean government added "criminal punishment provisions for copyright infringement" to the Copyright Law. After CLKO joined hands with the judicial department to effectively crack down on piracy, rogue rabbits created 120 billion won (about 800 million yuan) in 201. "The cost of combating piracy is very high, accounting for about 30% to 50% of the previous cost. It is really a drop in the bucket for small-scale comic workshops. "

Third, 200 1, Korea has established a perfect animation authorization model. Under the protection of public power, the derivative products of rogue rabbits quickly reached more than 1700. "Domestic businesses don't have this awareness and business model, but they are more discerning about piracy."

Zhang commented that the folk animation workshop is "three shortages and two shortages"-lack of funds, lack of business model, lack of professional brokers, lack of system and lack of scale. So I can only feed my own children while feeding other people's children. I'm hungry and hungry, and I can't eat well. As for whether you can live a happy life like a "wandering rabbit" in the future, it depends on your own endurance, the development of the country and the direction of policies.

[Edit this paragraph]

latest development

Ivory has been commercialized recently.

The q8 mobile phone advertisement designed in cooperation with Motorola has been put into major magazines and TV stations in China.