Agent Penny and her sidekick Will Power may not yet be as famous as Spiderman or Captain Jack Sparrow among Hong Kong's 10 to 12-year-olds, but the message they are delivering around town is sure to have a much longer-term effect.
As the leading characters in a new illustrated comic book entitled Operation Finance, the two superheroes are the stars of an innovative and fun-filled financial education programme helping youngsters to learn all about saving, budgeting, and other practices for good money management.
A first successful series of The Adventures of Agent Penny was launched in October 2005. The Citigroup Foundation provided funding, while Citibank and the Learning Society jointly organised the various activities.
The same team is also behind the latest programme which began in mid-April and, besides the comic book, includes an interactive drama based on the exploits of the two superheroes.
More than 35,000 copies of the comic have been printed, and Jumbo Kids, a local professional theatre group, stepped forward to help with producing the drama.
It will be performed in as many as 100 primary schools in the course of the year.
