{"id":3419,"date":"2025-03-12T12:26:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T11:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/?p=3419"},"modified":"2025-03-12T12:32:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T11:32:27","slug":"introducing-our-official-wapuu-mascot-for-wordcamp-europe-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/introducing-our-official-wapuu-mascot-for-wordcamp-europe-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing our official Wapuu mascot for WordCamp Europe 2025!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019re thrilled to introduce you to our official Wapuu mascot for WordCamp Europe 2025! From sporting regional attire to holding iconic objects, Wapuu reflects the creativity and diversity of the WordPress ecosystem.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is a Wapuu?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve attended a WordCamp event before, you\u2019ve likely encountered Wapuu, the lovable and customisable mascot of the WordPress Community. The original Wapuu was created in Japan to promote WordPress and foster community spirit. Designed by Japanese illustrator Kazuko Kaneuchi as a gift to the WordPress Community, Wapuu made its debut at WordCamp Fukuoka in February 2011. Since then, Wapuu has evolved into a global phenomenon, with local WordPress Communities designing their own unique versions to represent their cities, cultures, and events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WCEU 2025 Wapuu: A Celebration of Basel\u2019s Culture and Open-Source Spirit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For WordCamp Europe 2025, we wanted a Wapuu that truly embodies the spirit of Basel\u2014the host city\u2014and reflects the values of WordPress. Our design takes inspiration from Basel\u2019s rich cultural heritage, particularly its famous carnival, creating a Wapuu that is both playful and deeply symbolic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the Basel Carnival?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Basel isn\u2019t just known for its museums and big businesses\u2014it\u2019s also home to Switzerland\u2019s largest and most colourful carnival<\/a>, Basler Fasnacht<\/em>. This three-day celebration is wild, creative, and completely unique\u2014so much so that it\u2019s on UNESCO\u2019s Intangible Cultural Heritage list<\/strong>! But more importantly, it\u2019s a festival by the people, for the people. Anyone can take part, much like how WordPress is open to everyone, no matter their background or skill level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wapuu Goes Full Waggis<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our 2025 Wapuu is all dressed up for the occasion, wearing the costume of a Waggis<\/em><\/strong>\u2014one of the most iconic figures of the Basel Carnival. The Waggis<\/em> is a playful caricature of an Alsatian peasant from the 19th century, known for being a bit of a wanderer, a hard worker, and someone who doesn\u2019t take themselves too seriously. Sound familiar? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s pretty much the WordPress Community\u2014borderless, down-to-earth, and always up for some fun<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Drumming Up the Spirit of Basel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No Basel Carnival experience would be complete without the sound of drums filling the streets. That\u2019s why our Wapuu is carrying a Basel drum<\/a><\/em>, a classic two-headed rope-tension drum. The black and white stripes on it? They\u2019re Basel\u2019s official colours. Over 2,000 drummers play these during the festival, creating a rhythm that pulses through the city. It\u2019s a tradition that\u2019s loud, proud, and full of energy\u2014just like WordCamp Europe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Than Just a Fun Costume<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We didn\u2019t choose the Basel Carnival just because it\u2019s famous. We love it because it represents something bigger: community, creativity, and freedom<\/strong>. Costumes follow traditional designs, but everyone makes their own by hand, adding their own personal touch. It\u2019s DIY, it\u2019s open-source\u2014it\u2019s WordPress<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By basing our Wapuu on the carnival, we\u2019re also showing a different side of Basel. When people think of the city, they often picture banks, big corporations, and the pharmaceutical industry. But Basel is also bursting with art, culture, and grassroots creativity\u2014just like WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, as we gear up for WordCamp Europe 2025, we hope you love our Basel-inspired Wapuu as much as we do. It\u2019s a celebration of the city, the carnival, and everything that makes WordPress amazing. We can\u2019t wait to share it with you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who designed the WCEU 2025 Wapuu?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A huge thank you to Ioanna Aravani<\/a><\/strong> and Sophie Porte<\/a><\/strong> from the WCEU Design Team for bringing this fantastic Wapuu to life! Their creativity and passion have perfectly captured the spirit of Basel and the open-source energy of WordPress. We can’t wait for everyone to meet our carnival-loving Wapuu at WordCamp Europe 2025!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the WCEU 2025 Wapuu<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you love our Wapuu already? You can download it and share its story with the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download Wapuu!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re thrilled to introduce you to our official Wapuu mascot for WordCamp Europe 2025! From sporting regional attire to holding iconic objects, Wapuu reflects the creativity and diversity of the WordPress ecosystem. What is a Wapuu? If you\u2019ve attended a WordCamp event before, you\u2019ve likely encountered Wapuu, the lovable and customisable mascot of the WordPress […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15933116,"featured_media":3420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-update"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/files\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-Wapuu-_-Fb-Post-Featured-Image.png?fit=1201%2C630&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfPHvs-T9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15933116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3419"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3449,"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3419\/revisions\/3449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europe.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}