Popular inflatable frog suits in China, a replica?
Image via Yangtze Evening Post
It appears that in China people wearing frog costumes (so called “Frog sellers” or “Frog Influencers”) led to a flood of viral videos.
Frog Sellers are wearing inflatable frog suits and occasionally sell small toys (mainly small inflatable frogs!). The suits sparked a debate about Intellectual Property, as one can have an intellectual property debate on everything.
The frog costume became a sensation on Chinese social media platforms Douyin and Weibo in early 2022. One video showed a frog seller doing “the worm” in a gym, while another one featured a frog seller showing his dance moves to a police officer. Other clips show frogs doing military salutes and having dance battles.
In Chinese traditional culture the Frog is associated with good fortune in business. Is this the reason for the popularity? The designer of the first suit, Ms. Tong, just wanted to bring some joy to people and challenge the norms around work-life balance but, as said, the suit also caused debate about intellectual property.
Tong was accused of stealing the design from Calabash Brothers, a popular 1980s Chinese cartoon series in which a frog appeared wearing a distinctive neck chief. “I modified the color, 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. By the way: the neck chief of the Frog sellers is blue, not red!
However, it appears that one of the original creators of the cartoon said he has no interest in pursuing Tong. This means the Frogs are here to stay. Which seems to be a fun thing. Want one? The suits are easy to buy. Just type: “Inflatable frog costume” and you’re ready to start brightening up people’s life.
Author: Erik Stegeman
Bio: Erik Stegeman is a trademark attorney and specialist in trademark protection for bands, DJs and artists. His client portfolio includes many famous DJ’s like Charlotte de Witte, Swedish House Maffia and Tiësto. He writes a lot about music trademark infringements. And if you are lucky, he will give you hints on the latest band and DJ’s.