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Freddy (Chinese: 天氣先生, Mr. Weather) is a Hong Kong animated weatherman on TVB's weather forecasts, for both its English (TVB Pearl) and Chinese (TVB Jade, High Definition Jade and iNews) channels. The animated series covers 20 different weather conditions, complete with sound effects.
Other markets
Freddy has been shown in 19 U.S. TV & cable markets, such as KNOE-TV in Monroe, Louisiana; KTVO TV in Kirksville, Missouri; WJBF in Augusta, Georgia and many other stations. The series also ran in Perth, Australia for many years.
Appearance
Freddy wears a yellow suit and has a pink face; his design has not changed over the years except in 1993 when he became computer animated.
Freddy may have changed little over the years, but the skyline behind him is regularly updated to keep abreast of the ever-changing skyline of Hong Kong. It appears as if he is walking on the water surface of Victoria Harbour. As of January 2008, in keeping with the HDTV trend, Freddy was upgraded to his third incarnation.
Freddy and the weather
Freddy's actions gives a short forecast of the day's weather:
- In case of extreme heat, he melts;
- In case of lightning, he gets struck by lightning and runs away;
- In case of rain, a rain cloud drifts in and he opens his umbrella;
- In case of heavy rain, the rain fills the screen;
- In case of strong winds, he is blown away;
- In case of cold, he turns to ice;
- In case of fog, he holds up a lantern for light.
At the same time, there are various sound effects including falling rain, thunder, blowing wind, footsteps, and Freddy's whistling and reactive cries such as "oooh", "aaah" and "awww".
Dispute
During the 1980s weather reports, in case of fine weather Freddy would pick flowers, which was criticised as an example of destroying public property. After receiving complaints, TVB changed this in the 1990s to him walking and whistling merrily.
References
- Toon Town: the city's homegrown comics, HK Magazine No. 585. Retrieved 29 July 2005.
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