Freddy (weather)

Freddy is an animated weatherman. The short animated series covers 20 different weather conditions, complete with sound effects. It is currently shown in Hong Kong on the TVB television channel during the weather report. Freddy's purpose is to show the next day's predicted weather. Freddy was created in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and TVB pays license fees for his continual use.

Appearance
Freddy wears a yellow suit and has a pink face; his design has not generally changed over the years.

Freddy and the weather
Freddy's actions gives a short forecast of the day's weather:
 * For extreme heat, he melts;
 * For lightning, he gets struck by lightning and runs away;
 * For rain, a rain cloud drifts in and he opens his umbrella;
 * For heavy rain, the rain fills the screen;
 * For strong winds, he is blown away;
 * For cold, he turns to ice;
 * For fog, he holds up a lantern for light.
 * For sunny conditions, a flower sprouts, he picks it and walks.

At the same time, there are various sound effects including falling rain, thunder, blowing wind, footsteps, and Freddy's whistling and reactive cries such as "oooh", "aaah" and "awww".

Other markets
Freddy (also known as "Freddy Forecast" or "Freddy the Forecaster") has been shown in 19 television markets in the United States, such as KNOE-TV in Monroe, Louisiana; KTVO TV in Kirksville, Missouri; WJBF in Augusta, Georgia and many other stations. The series also ran in Perth, Australia for many years.

In Shenzhen, China, Shenzhen Television's news bulletin at noon uses a similar character and features Shenzhen's skyline in the background.

Hong Kong (TVB)


In Hong Kong, where Freddy is known as in Cantonese and Mandarin, the character is utilised on TVB's weather forecasts, for both its English (TVB Pearl) and Chinese (TVB Jade) channels. In 1993, he became computer-animated.

The skyline behind him on TVB's broadcasts is regularly updated to keep abreast of the ever-changing skyline of Hong Kong. It appears as if he is walking on the water surface of Victoria Harbour. As of January 2008, Freddy was upgraded to his third incarnation.

During the 1980s weather reports, in case of fine weather Freddy would pick flowers, which was criticised as an example of destroying public property. After receiving complaints, TVB changed this in the 1990s to him walking and whistling merrily.