Modhesh has been making sporadic appearances on the Facebook page of Summer Is Dubai, which was launched this March. However, the couple of instances of Modhesh-spotting have gone down really well with audiences generating more than 250 Likes.
Not just children but grown-ups also give a thumbs up to the mascot who was spotted walking around Atlantis The Palm this April, before making an appearance at the Arabian Travel Market in May. The character is popular around the region and travels on goodwill visits to hospitals and schools in the GCC, where Modhesh is seen as an ambassador of Dubai.
The amazing one
Children of all nationalities visit Modhesh World, one of the region’s largest indoor-entertainment venues over the summer. More than 500,000 children have visited the pop-up venue over the years.
But Modhesh, whose name translates as amazing from the Arabic, is used to being the centre of attention. Last year, to commemorate the launch of the monumental 15th edition of the summer extravaganza, the ceremony was followed by a huge colourful parade across Modhesh World halls.
Cartoon character
Much has happened in Modhesh’s life since the last edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS). In November last year Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), as the licensor of Modhesh was then called, announced a strategic alliance with Mondo TV, a European animation production and distribution company to produce and distribute an animated cartoon series on Modhesh worldwide. The character’s parent company is now rechristened Dubai Festivals and Retail Sector Promotions Establishment, but its status as the region’s most popular character remains unchanged.
Adding fun to shopping
The character was created as the mascot for DSS making his first appearance in 2000 in a TV advertisement for DSS. He popped out as a jack-in-the-box screaming “Surprise!”
By the time he was up on his feet in 2001, as the Ambassador of Smiles, he was already adding an element of fun to the serious business of shopping.
