In the wild the Brazilian three-banded armadillo is classed as “vulnerable”, but a million furry versions of the creature picked as the 2014 World Cup mascot are taking shape in a Chinese factory.
Fuleco may for now still be a largely unknown yellow armadillo with a blue shell and tail, but the mascot of the world’s biggest single sports event represents 80 per cent of sales for Tongchuang Toys in eastern mainland province Anhui.
The company won a contract with the tournament organisers to produce a million furry toy versions of Fuleco, whose name, according to Fifa, is a fusion of the words futebol and ecologia.
The toys will be used for merchandising and gifts for sponsors.
The company shipped 500,000 armadillos to Brazil in December, and is now producing its second batch.
“This big order accounts for four fifths of our total sales volume, and we will be working on it right through to April,” factory manager Yu Renjun said. No value was given for the deal.