Globi is a Swiss cartoon character often referred to as Switzerland's Mickey Mouse. He is pictured as a blue bird with a yellow beak wearing a black beret and a pair of red and black checked trousers.

He started as an advertising character for the Swiss department store Globus in 1932 for the company's 25th anniversary and later appeared in a cartoon picture-book called “Globi's World Voyage” in 1935. By 1948, he had sold over one million books. He was tried in other markets such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Brazil, but did not do as well.

In the 1970s, he was accused of being sexist, racist, and promoting violence, but these accusations did not hold. Today, he is one of the most popular characters in Switzerland, with sales of over 9 million books.

The feature length animated motion picture “Globi and the Stolen Shadows” went to cinemas in October 2003. It was directed by Robi Engler in untypical Anime-style.

External link

• Globi's website (in German)