Bugcat Capoo (Chinese: 貓貓蟲咖波; pinyin: Māomāochóng Kābō), sometimes abbreviated to Capoo, is a cartoon character resembling a chubby blue cat with six legs. He is the namesake and main subject of a webcomic strip on Facebook and Instagram, cartoon clips on YouTube, and stickers on LINE and other social media. He was created by the Taiwanese artist Yara (亞拉; Yàlā) in 2014.
| Bugcat Capoo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First appearance | 2014 |
| Created by | Yara |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
Capoo is described as "a little monster like a cat and like a bug, both violent and cute, who loves to eat meat".[1] The comic depicts him as a cute house pet with an endless hunger for meat and a disdain for vegetables, living together with his owner Lala and the seemingly immortal Dogdog—a large dog possessing uncanny skills in every field—in Lala's house. Much of the comic revolves around everyday situations which explode into absurdity, and often end with Capoo either eating whatever frustrates him, or being comically punished by Lala for his antics.
Webcomic
editThe comic takes place in a world that is generally grounded in present-day life, but contains various comical features which defy logic and physics, like sentient everyday objects, different conventions such as buses being replaced with large friendly turtles, and a host of anthropomorphic supporting characters such as the masochistic bunny Tutu, Capoo's sister Mika, and a race of little, round creatures resembling young chicks which are frequently hunted as food by Capoo.
The comic is notable for its juxtaposition of the cute and the macabre, due to Capoo's occasional propensity for violence and the devouring of living beings.[2]
History
editBugcat Capoo started in 2014 as an amateur comic strip drawn by Yara on Bahamut, a popular Taiwanese ACG site.[3][4] After positive feedback, he published a set of 40 Capoo stickers on the LINE Creators Market in October 2014. The success of these stickers, and rising popularity of the character, led Yara to become a full-time illustrator.[5] After winning the short comic category in the 2015 WEBTOON Original Comic Competition,[2] Bugcat Capoo was serialised as an official LINE WEBTOON comic until March 2020.[4][6] During the serialisation at LINE, the character became part of various promotional events and materials.[7][8] Today, the comic is primarily hosted on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Bugcat Capoo artwork is widely available as stickers on social media platforms like Facebook and LINE. Among sticker creators, Yara was ranked #7 on the LINE Creators Market in 2017,[5] rising to #5 by 2020.[9] Capoo and other characters from the comic have been part of various collaborations with games and companies.[10][11] The popularity of the character has also spawned a number of businesses selling merchandise and themed services, such as the "Capoo House" store and the "Foam cat cafe" coffee house, both located in Taichung.[4][12]
References
edit- ^ "Bugcat Capoo". Facebook. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ a b 馮景青 (2015-01-30). "Webtoon原創漫畫賽 《貓劍客》、《貓貓蟲咖波》勝出". 中時新聞網.
- ^ 亞拉 (2014-05-16). "獵奇貓貓蟲咖波1-可愛到崩潰的小漫畫". 巴哈姆特. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ a b c Lin, Joy (2020-08-22). "Coffee or Capoo? Visiting the Capoo Cafe and Souvenir Shop in Taichung!". The Taiwan Times. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ a b 仲欐因 (2018-01-13). "【畫公仔賺錢】台IT男創「貓貓蟲咖波」LINE貼紙 月入幾千變10萬". 香港01.
- ^ "[第524話] 畢業了". LINE WEBTOON. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ 姚惠茹 (2019-05-15). "LINE WEBTOON首度跨界合作 攜手王道銀行推出「漫畫家系列卡」". ETtoday新聞雲.
- ^ 中心 (2016-03-25). "微疼、貓貓蟲咖波從2D變3D 圓滾滾模樣療癒玩家心". ETtoday遊戲雲.
- ^ "LINE公佈年度貼圖 前5名都是可愛毛絨動物". 自由財經. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ "兩款《RO 仙境傳說》遊戲與《貓貓蟲咖波》跨界合作 開放咖波特殊任務與限定道具". 巴哈姆特. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ 張人尹 (2020-07-15). "咖波捷運列車即將進站！高雄捷運「貓貓蟲咖波」聯名周邊小物、主題打卡點搶先看，獨家限定「咖波捷運票卡夾」陪粉絲每天嗶進站。". WalkerLand. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ 顏爾嫻 (2020-09-04). "咖波迷衝去台中！貓貓蟲咖波x奶泡貓咖啡期間限定店快閃誠品台中三井，獨家推出「咖波可可燒、咖波霜淇淋」讓粉絲手刀開吃。". WalkerLand. Retrieved 2021-01-18.