Brazilians defend white-hooded mascot that promotes coronavirus vaccines after his attire is compared to the KKK costume
- Twitter user @RoxxaneLaWin blasted the Brazilian Health Ministry’s mascot after versions of it appeared to be wearing hoods similar to the ones used by the KKK
- Several individuals were recently seen in a costume of Zé Gotinha, a mascot created in 1986 to promote the polio vaccine to children and their parents
- The mascot, translated as ‘Little Droplet’, is now being used to promote the coronavirus vaccine in Brazil
- In a recently deleted tweet that sparked outrage, @RoxxaneLaWin said the Health Ministry should ‘have gone through more levels of checks and approvals’
- Brazilians said they were ‘very proud’ of Zé Gotinha and blamed the criticism on a lack of cultural understanding
A costume version of a Brazilian mascot introduced in the 1980s to promote vaccines for children has sparked controversy on social media after it was likened to the hood Ku Klux Klansmen are known to wear.
Brazilians are defending the attire of mascot ‘Zé Gotinha’, or ‘Little Droplet,’ after a Twitter user blamed Brazilian officials for not doing their due diligence after two people in the mascot costume were photographed with children receiving medical care.
‘Brazil’s vaccine mascot could maybe have gone through a couple more levels of checks and approvals,’ @RoxxaneLaWin wrote.
Recent photos of individuals resembling Zé Gotinha, a mascot created by the Brazilian Health Ministry in the 1980s, created a bit of controversy on social media after a Twitter user compared the version of the costume to the attire used by members of the Ku Klux Klan
Twitter user @RozanneLaWin took the Brazilian government to task after several individuals hired to promote vaccines among parents and children wore a version of Zé Gotinha’s costume that she thought resembled the hood used by KKK clansmen
Zé Gotinha (center) during a January 22 event at Tom Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro where the Brazilian Health Ministry celebrated the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines. Zé Gotinha is a mascot created by the government health agency in 1986 that then promoted awareness of the polio vaccine among children and their parents
Her deleted tweet drew a wave of attacks on social media in Brazil. Twitter users blasted her remarks and defended the individuals who were hired to represent Ze Gotinha.
‘As a Black Brazilian, I just saw Zé Gotinha. We literally don’t give a s*** for what North Americans think about it, because is just Zé Gotinha for us,’ @Winxyzinha wrote.
After taking a closer look at the versions of the costumes that were used, another Twitter user suggested @RoxxaneLaWin owed Zé Gotinha an apology for comparing it to the KKK and the white supremacy rhetoric it continues to promote.
‘He’s a Brazilian icon and it was designed to be a polio vaccine drop and created to encourage kids to not be afraid. The costume you posted was a low budget from [an] extremely poor region. We are very proud of this mascot,’ @10_conto wrote.
‘Plus we ARE familiar with the horrors of KKK. Luckily this organization itself wasn’t strong here, although we have faced – and still face – white supremacists groups. But the point is that your post was disrespectful and it shows lack of cultural knowledge. Period.’
Zé Gotinha was created in 1986 by artist Darlan Rosa after the Brazilian Health Ministry held a nationwide contest throughout its schools to find its name. The public health agency then deployed the mascot as part of a massive campaign to raise awareness in parents and children for polio vaccinations.
Twitter user @marcolindu wrote: ‘Zé Gotinha is a very successful mascot for the polio vaccination. It really made a difference in the acceptance of the vaccine by kids and parents and represents a big victory in Brazil’s fully public health system. We are sorry if it generates discomfort, but we are proud of SUS [National Health System].’
Another Twitter user lamented @RoxxaneLaWin’s KKK comparison.
‘Zé Gotinha is literally just a drop with arms, legs and eyes. It’s designed to look friendly,’ @duchannesheda tweeted. ‘It’s sad that the costume looks something else but this is all this Brazilian health symbol is.’
Zé Gotinha was created in 1986 by artist Darlan Rosa after the Brazilian Health Ministry held a nationwide contest throughout its schools to find its name. The public health agency then deployed the mascot as part of a massive campaign to raise awareness in parents and children for polio vaccinations.
The mascot made an appearance during a Health Ministry event that marked the arrival of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
One of the Twitters users who was bothered by the Zé Gotinha mascot costume comparisons to the KKK called on President Joe Biden to introduce an American version.
‘The U.S. should consider its own “Droplet Joe” mascot to make the vaccination process less scary for our children; it appears to work wonders in Brazil. #COVID-19,’ @HollyBriden wrote.