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BBC Olympics Coverage to Feature Gorillaz Created Monkey

BBC Sport engaged the Gorillaz to help create the "faces of the BBC's Olympics coverage." For some reason, I picture NBC taking quite a different approach.

So the Monkey King apparently has a couple of buddies including Pigsy and Sandy the Sand Monk. Clearly, Monkey is the "cloud-riding leader of the group."

The BBC is taking chances going out on a limb with such a unique, off-the-wall approach to their Olympics coverage but they're hoping it could attract the younger generation who might not have been interested in the sporting aspect of the games at first.

Watch the bizarre trailer produced by the Gorillaz below.

Here's a preview of the Monkey's journey to the Bird's Nest in Beijing from the BBC [via Stereogum].

A bit of the backstory behind the characters from the BBC's website:

The concept is based around Journey to the West, a famous Chinese novel, published in the 1590s and considered one of the four most important works of fiction in China's history. It follows a monk with several disciples, including a monkey, as they battle increasingly fierce demons on a quest to retrieve Buddhist scriptures for China.

And more on the concept being used for the 2008 games in Beijing.

It is probably fair to say not everybody will expect their gold-infused Olympic heroes to be jumped by an upstart Monkey. Jonny acknowledges the campaign is going to give people more to think about than Olympic title sequences of years gone by. (Des Lynam fans will remember Barcelona 1992).

"We're definitely going in a bit of a radical direction. Some people might think this isn't the BBC but we're trying to make a mark, a statement.

"It's a little bit different and hopefully it'll capture the essence of what we think the Olympics is all about, and maybe wake a few people up.

"For younger viewers not instantly attracted to the Olympics, they might think twice about it."

You can meet Monkey and friends here and I quote: "Hatched from a stone egg, the immortal Monkey King is as highly skilled in the art of magic as he is in speed, strength and agility"

It's creative idea and I give them credit for the bold move. The characters are certainly an improvement on the "official" Olympic mascots for '08. Unfortunately, I don't think we get the BBC in Philly.

Posted by Enrico in Beijing Summer Olympics 2008, olympics | Permalink