: Hello everyone, I'm Kazuko Kaneuchi,
: I'm a
: UI designer from Fukuoka, Japan, but you might
: know me as the designer of WAPU.
: I travel a long way from Fukuoka to Mumbai to see you all today.
: Now please watch the short movie.
: Get your crew, from Niger to Yankee, we are with you.
: WAPU, you're not alone, friends there for you all over the
: world. Adventures they wait, oh yeah, let's go.
: Adventures they wait, oh yeah, let's go.
: Thank you.
: Now I'll give you a brief story about the origins
: of WAPU. In
: 2010, the Japanese WordPress community asked me for a
: mascot, why me? Because I was recommended by
: community members in Fukuoka. One
: of the people who recommended me was Mr. Miyoshi.
: He is also the speaker of this WorldCamp
: Asia 2026. Mr.
: Miyoshi. Next day he will speak.
: At that time, I was
: too nervous. I'm not an engineer, I can
: write code. I thought, how can I give back
: to WordPress?
: Then I realized I can contribute through design.
: Making a character is my way of saying thank you to the
: community. You can see
: my early sketches here. Some are cats,
: some are even others.
: After narrowing down the ideas from the rough sketches, I
: colored them. Four is
: like WAPU.
: Finally, on February 19th,
: 2011, at WorldCamp Fukuoka 2011,
: official Japanese mascot was born in
: Fukuoka, Japan. But it was no name.
: later named WAPU.
: This cake was where the legend began. It
: was delicious.
: At first, it was just one WAPU. But
: look what happened.
: Japan. Japan. WAPU, WAPU, WAPU,
: WAPU, WAPU. Local WAPU
: were born all over Japan.
: Then,
: all over the world.
: Japan.
: WAPU.
: WAPU, WAPU. all over the world, Europe,
: Asia, America, and more.
: Of course, India. India, Wapu.
: Many, many Wapu. Thank you.
: Wapuba's costume is elaborate and beautiful.
: Wapu and Amu are cute as they face each other like
: twins. Of
: course, this event's official mascot, Wapuulika, is also
: amazing and beautiful.
: I never imagined this. You took my
: design, added your culture, and gave it new
: life. This is what makes the WordPress
: community wonderful.
: I think it's a chain of gratitude.
: Thank you local creators, thank you
: community members, and thank you for loving
: Wapu. Please, keep remixing,
: keep sharing with respect and love. Thank you so
: much. Thank
: you.
: You