Pikalong - The dragon that "de-sacres" dragons

A strip of greenery trimmed into the shape of a dragon, long preserved in its original form, has been adorned with yellow flowers. Interestingly, it went unnoticed before the flowers were added, but after the flowers were arranged, the entire strip of greenery became a major draw. Many people consider it the "strangest dragon of all time," while others find it cute and visually appealing. One of those people is artist Bui Dinh Thang, nicknamed Thang Fly.

Creating a Pikachu figure with a conical hat and the famous Sao Vang medicated balm.

Artist Thăng Fly, who was already famous for his comic drawing skills at the time, later recalled: "From that moment, I found this creature adorable. Actually, the original dragon was already very cute." From the yellow bush that looked like a hybrid between a dragon and the cartoon character Pikachu, he created a new cartoon character - a dragon that wasn't as sinuous, with a mouth still shaped like a dragon's jaw and nostrils flared like many dragon heads in films about dragon kings. This cartoon character still had a tail and a few dragon "scales" on its back.

In the first version, Thăng Fly had the creature boldly declare: "I'm beautiful!!!" This was a "counter-current" message in the conception of a mascot. This dragon rejected sacredness and conformity to become more ordinary. Later, drawing from that "spirit" of the dragon and Pikachu, the artist named it Pikalong.

Bui Dinh Thang continued to develop Pikalong as a comic book and cartoon character by telling Pikalong stories. In 2019, the first book featuring Pikalong, titled "Pikalong - Long Loves Vietnam," was released. The book is rated 15+ despite not containing any explicit scenes or incitement to violence. Bui Dinh Thang explained: "Perhaps it's because Pikalong often talks back to adults, in a somewhat mischievous way. Adults reading it jokingly understand it's not meant to educate young children. Choosing 15+ is the safest option for children, and we made that choice ourselves."

Pikalong - The Dragon Loves Vietnam's Themes showcase a skillful blend of modern dragon imagery with everyday life. Pikalong engages in debates about whether men should wash dishes or sweep the house, and suggests removing Chí Phèo from textbooks due to his violent content. These stories are developed with concise dialogue, strong critical commentary, and a high degree of self-mockery.

One of Vietnam's leading comic book writers, Nguyen Khanh Duong, said that on the occasion of Thang Fly's book launch, the ComiCola group, founded by Duong, displayed a giant 1.52-meter-tall stuffed Pikalong at the Comi Store. Following this, Pikalong-themed products were created, including mugs printed with Pikalong images, which continue to be sold today.

In addition, artist Thăng Fly's creative team continues to develop content related to Pikalong. New members of the team, those new to drawing comics, are encouraged to create humorous content featuring Pikalong and post it on Thăng Fly Comics' website. The content of these stories once again "demystifies" the dragon image. In these later stories, Pikalong sometimes appears as an ordinary Vietnamese citizen, engaging in discussions and sharing thoughts on current events such as donating money to support his idol or protesting the "nine-dash line" map…

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/pikalong-chu-ronggiai-thieng-rong-185240128122315369.htm