A.U (阿U or 阿优) is a Chinese media franchise comprising
manhua
() are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ''Cu ...
, cartoons and games that was introduced in 2009.
It is a brand owned by Hangzhou A.U Cultural Creativity Co., Ltd. It centers on a boy of the same name and his friends.
Characters
*A.U (阿U) - A red-haired boy who is curious, naughty, and loving.
*Pangzi (胖仔) - A fat boy who loves to eat.
*Amei (阿美) - A girl who is pretty and smart.
*Nanrenpo (男人婆) - A tomboy who is straightforward.
Comics and animation
A.U comic books were first released by Zhejiang Juvenile and Children's Publishing House in 2011, and as of 2013 over 100 million copies were sold. The first A.U animated series premiered in
China Central Television
China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...
in August 2012 and A.U cartoons have since become popular.
In 2014, the fifth season (阿U之神奇萝卜) introduced rabbit characters in the show.
Merchandising and games
There is an A.U clothing brand for children with the chief designer being
Yves Castaldi Yves Castaldi
Early life
Castaldi was born in Algeria.
Fashion work
Castaldi in Beverly Hills, California.
Fashion shows
Berlin, Germany - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006
Paris, France -
Los Angeles, USA - 2004
Milan, Italy - 1998, 1999, 200 ...
,. Other branded products including snacks, footwear, and wallpaper became available. Electronic educational devices for young children including a smart rabbit-like robot called A.U Rabbit for families have also been released. There are A.U games in the Apple
App Store
An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...
and the A.U electronic devices.
Brand awareness for A.U among primary school students had reached 63.3%.
Theme park
A theme park called A.U Cartoon Island (阿U国际卡通岛) in Xianghu Lake in
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...
was planned, and it would feature digital interactivity.
References
External links
4399 A.U page66uu.com66uu.cn
{{CCTV shows
2011 comics debuts
2012 Chinese television series debuts
Chinese children's animated television series
China Central Television original programming
Manhua titles