Brazil Unveils An Armadillo As The Mascot For '14 FIFA World Cup

Brazil has selected an "endangered armadillo as the mascot" for the '14 FIFA World Cup, according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. FIFA said that the mascot, which was unveiled last night on a TV program by former Brazil F Ronaldo, "represented the three-banded armadillo, an endangered species indigenous to Brazil." The animal is actually light brown, but the mascot is "yellow with green eyes and a blue shell," the colors of the Brazilian flag. He will be depicted "holding aloft a soccer ball" (REUTERS, 9/17). FIFA indicated that Brazilians "will have until mid-November to choose the name from three choices -- Amijubi, Fuleco and Zuzeco." Amijubi is a "representation of friendliness and joy," while Fuleco and Zuzeco are "linked to an 'ecological message'" (AP, 9/17).