A.U (阿U or 阿优) is a Chinese media franchise comprising comedy
manhua
() are Chinese-language comics produced in Greater China. Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China throughout its history.
They are usually graphic and can be written for a myriad of genres, including romance, fanta ...
, cartoons and games that was introduced in 2009.
It is a brand owned by Hangzhou AU Culture & Technologies Co., Ltd. It centers on a boy of the same name and his friends.
Characters
Main characters
*A.U (阿U) - A red-haired boy who is curious, naughty, and loving.
*Pangzai (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.
Other characters
* Mr. Jia (甲老师) - Head teacher of A.U's class.
Main characters (rabbits) added after fifth season
* Tiaotiao (跳跳) - An active and dynamic rabbit.
* Tufei (兔菲) - The head of three rabbits.
* Shuai'er (甩耳) - An lazy rabbit with wagging ears.
Comics and animation
A.U comic books were first published 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 on
China Central Television
China Central Television (CCTV) is the State media, national television broadcaster of China, established in 1958. CCTV is operated by the National Radio and Television Administration which reports directly to the Publicity Department of th ...
in August 2012 and A.U cartoons have since become popular.
In 2014, the fifth season, A.U: Amazing Carrot (阿U之神奇萝卜), introduced rabbit characters to the show.
In May 4, 2015, the A.U animated series premiered in India on
ZeeQ
Zee Q was an Indian Hindi cable and satellite television channel, owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel was launched on 22 November 2010, for children in the 4 to 14 age group. The 24-hour channel was available on DTH and digital ...
.
Merchandising and games
There is an A.U clothing brand for children with the chief designer being Yves Castaldi. Other branded products include snacks, footwear, and wallpaper. 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 on the Apple
App Store
An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, 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 i ...
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, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...
was planned and would feature digital interactivity.
References
External links
Official website of Hangzhou AU Culture & Technologies Co., Ltd.
{{CCTV shows
2010s Chinese television series
2011 comics debuts
2012 Chinese television series debuts
Child characters in comics
Chinese children's animated comedy television series
China Central Television original programming
Comics about children
Humor comics
Mandarin-language television shows
Manhua adapted into television series
Manhua titles