“卖崽青蛙”在中国走红
2024-01-03 09:11阅读：
随着一股始于中国城市街头摊贩的热潮又在网上掀起新波澜，这种拟人化的青蛙已经跻身网红行列。这股潮流也被称为“卖崽青蛙”或“青蛙网红”，是一个戴着蓝色领巾的青蛙人偶套装。
跳舞是使之在网上走红的神奇元素。去年11月在网上发布的一段视频显示，一名身着青蛙服的卖家在某健身房跳起“蠕虫舞”。
该潮流被认为始于去年9月，当时一名童姓女士在南京街头身着青蛙服向路人卖气球。当视频被发布到网上后，迅速催生出一波模仿热潮。在今年中国七夕节，北京一名老大爷身穿“卖崽青蛙”服，送给伴侣一只巨大的泰迪熊玩具，该视频被人发布到网上后，不少网民留下“真浪漫”的评论。
这股潮流还引发有关知识产权的争议。有人指责涉嫌抄袭中国上世纪80年代流行动画片《葫芦兄弟》中的形象，一只戴着红色领巾的“红蛤蟆”。
对于谁拥有青蛙人偶的知识产权，评论人士表达各自看法。上海华东政法大学教授龙文懋表示，“红蛤蟆”和童女士设计的“卖崽青蛙”之间存在明显差别。《葫芦兄弟》主创人员吴云初表示自己不准备维权。其他人士则采取更为豁达的态度。一名中国记者写道：“在某种意义上，青蛙装既是演员的面具，也像武者的铠甲。它一边给面具对面的人创造着纯粹的欢声笑语，一边也为铠甲里面的人遮挡着生活的苦辣酸甜。”
Chinese dancing frog goes viral doing the
worm
'Frog seller' trend sparks debate on intellectual property amid
concerns over copyright infringement
Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent
An an
thropomorphised frog has joined celebrity live-streamers and social
media commentators among China's ranks of influencers, as a trend
that began with street sellers in Chinese cities takes on a new
life online – and raised questions over who, if anyone, owns the
intellectual property rights to a dancing amphibian.
Alternatively known as a “frog seller” or “frog influencer”, the
meme involves a person in a frog suit with a blue neckerchief
selling frog-themed products such as balloons and toys.
The magic ingredient for going viral on social media, though, is
dancing. One video posted online in November showed a frog seller
doing the worm in a gym. In another instance, a frog seller flosses
– among other dance moves – to a disgruntled traffic police officer
before riding off on a scooter.
The trend is thought to have begun in September 2022, when a woman
in Nanjing, surnamed Tong, wore a frog costume to sell frog
balloons to passersby. When a video of her stunt was posted online,
it quickly spawned imitations.
On Chinese Valentine's Day, in August, an elderly man in Beijing
put on a frog seller suit to give his partner a giant teddy bear,
prompting comments about “true romance” when the video was posted
online.
The trend has also triggered a rather less humorous debate about
intellectual property. Tong was accused of stealing the design for
her frog suit from Calabash Brothers, a popular 1980s Chinese
cartoon series in which one character, Red Toad, is a frog wearing
a distinctive red neckerchief.
“I modified the colour, body shape, pattern and head size, but the
overall image of the toad in nature is there. No matter how I
modify it, it does look very similar at first glance,” she said in
an interview with China Intellectual Property News.
Commentators have weighed in about who owns the rights to a dancing
frog. Long Wenmao, a professor at East China University of
Political Science and Law, in Shanghai, said Calabash Brothers’ Red
Toad and Tong’s frog seller were clearly different. Red Toad has an
“evil and mischievous air”, while the frog seller has a “cute and
innocent image”, Long said, according to China Intellectual
Property News.
Wu Yunchu, one of the original creators of the Calabash Brothers
cartoon, said he had no interest in pursuing Tong for a copyright
violation.
Other commentators have taken a more philosophical approach. In an
essay for China Youth Daily, the journalist Yang Xinyu wrote: “In a
sense, the frog costume is an actor’s mask and a warrior’s armour.
While it gives the person outside the mask laughs, it also shields
the person inside the mask from the bitterness and sweetness of
life.”
