Tsim Tung Brother Cream (also known as "Cream Aberdeen" or Brother Cream for short; 2005–2020)[1] was a male British Shorthair cat who lived at a convenience store in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong.[2] After disappearing in 2012, he became one of the most famous cats in Hong Kong. He died of stomach cancer on 24 May 2020.
| Tsim Tung Brother Cream | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brother Cream in 2012 | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 尖東忌廉哥 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Tsim Sha Tsui East Brother Cream | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career
editTsim Tung Brother Cream was born in 2005 and lived at a convenience store in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong, owned by Ko Chee-shing, his owner.[2]
On 10 July 2012, Brother Cream disappeared,[1] allegedly stolen.[3] Fans of the feline helped to post notices alerting area people about the lost cat.[1] He was allegedly released 20 days later. He was found 26 days later[1][4] in an alleyway and was returned to his owner. The cat had lost 1.4 kg (3.1 lb) while he was away.[5] The incident was published on the front page of local Hong Kong newspapers,[6] and Brother Cream became one of the most famous cats in Hong Kong. A little over two months after the incident, the cat's Facebook page had over 26,000 "likes".[4] On 31 March 2013, the South China Morning Post reported that Brother Cream had over 108,000 followers on Facebook.[7] As of May 2014, Brother Cream had over 160,000 likes on Facebook.[8] As of January 2015[update] he had more than 170,000 Facebook "likes".[9]
Brother Cream had a partner named Sister Cream, a female, Scottish Fold cat with black and white colouring.[7]
In May 2016 Brother Cream retired as "manager" of the store when it closed.[10][11] Living at home with Ko, he lost some weight; he appeared at a book fair in July 2016 to promote his biography.[11][12]
Brother Cream died of stomach cancer at his home on 24 May 2020.[13]
Books
editIn 2012 Ichiban Publishing published Brother Cream in East TST about Brother Cream.[7] On 30 March 2013, Brother Cream was present at a book-signing event for the book at Mikiki mall in San Po Kong, in which hundreds of people showed up to see the cat; the cat's paws were scanned and stamps were created to act as a signature from the cat.[7] As of July 2013[update] the book had sold more than 20,000 copies.[14] His second book, Cream Chicken Soup, was published in 2013.[14]
Advertising, television and merchandise
editBrother Cream has received coverage on television shows.[7] Due to his popularity, Brother Cream appeared in two television advertisement contracts in 2013, for Nikon and Wing On Travel.[2] Brother Cream was also involved in the filming of a television series to be aired on Citybus,[2] one of the major bus operators in Hong Kong. He (and his owner) were interviewed on CNN News in 2015.[15]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit- Big Boys Club (TVB) (interview)
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d (in Chinese) (18 August 2012.) 尖東忌廉哥搵番啦！ 全城尋貓26天 - Yahoo! 新聞香港 Ming Pao Daily News.
- ^ a b c d e Yuen, Mark (28 March 2013). "Tsim Tung Brother Cream". HK Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ^ (in Chinese) (15 July 2012.) 尖東貓王「忌廉哥」失蹤 - 太陽報. Oriental Press Group,
- ^ a b (in Chinese) 狂吸粉絲偶像寵物——油尖旺Style！ - root - 新聞頻道 - 新浪網 Archived 2013-01-07 at archive.today
- ^ (in Chinese) (30 August 2012.) 尖東忌廉哥重振雄風 - root - 新聞頻道 - 新浪網 Archived 2012-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (in Chinese) (28 September 2012.) ŠúłřOLşô 大姐大手記﹕鮑美麗夠紅 忌廉哥巴閉 舒淇最愛「契仔」朱古力]《明報》2012年9月28日. Ming Pao Daily News.
- ^ a b c d e Choi, Christy (31 March 2013). "Top cat Brother Creamy meets fans in Mikiki mall, San Po Kong". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- ^ "Brother Cream". Facebook.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ^ Chan, Yannie (29 January 2015). "Furry Minutes of Fame". HK magazine.
- ^ "Goodbye, Brother Cream". China Daily. 25 May 2016.
- ^ a b "The politics of a martial arts book fair in Hong Kong". BBC News. 26 July 2016.
- ^ Central Station (25 July 2016). "Brother Cream cuts the fat". The Standard. Hong Kong.
- ^ Aildasani, Dannie (27 May 2020). "Beloved Hong Kong icon Brother Cream dies". Young Post.
- ^ a b Tam, Johnny (22 July 2013). "Brother Cream's 'Cream Chicken Soup' a bestseller at Book Fair". South China Morning Post.
- ^ "Hong Kong's answer to Grumpy Cat". CNN. 7 May 2015.
Further reading
edit- "Fans bid farewell to internet cat sensation at TST store". EJ Insight. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2017.