Cactus Wars: Mascot Dispute Gets Prickly
Image by iStock
They’re big, funny and cute. But two popular Israeli mascots are going to be facing off in court.
Kishkashta is a jolly singing cactus seen on Israeli Educational Television. You can sneak a look at him here, on YouTube. Now, take a peek at the Israel Olympic Committee’s mascot, Shpitzik, here.
There’s a similarity between the 35-year-old Kishkashta and the younger Shpitzik. Both are prickly, and resemble the sabra, the fruit that is a symbol of Israel. But the Israel Olympic Committee says that the similarity is too striking — and therefore Shpitzik should be pulled. According to the Jerusalem, Post when Israeli Educational Television saw Shpitzik it asked the Olympic committee to use Kishkashta instead.
When the committee didn’t comply, it petitioned the court, insisting: “Kishkashta is the intellectual property of Educational Television, and as such enjoys copyright and trademark protection.” Anyone else think that in the spirit of the Olympics the two characters should decide the dispute with a contest? There’s fencing at the games, remember.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
