YANGON—The Yangon Region government has announced that they have chosen a traditional toy, the pyit taing htaung (also known as the tumbling Kelly), as their mascot which is to be used as a symbol of Yangon Region and a point of interest for visitors to Yangon and in promotion of the tourism industry.
At a press conference held on Dec. 7 at Sky Star Hotel in Yangon, Naw Pan Thinzar Myo, the minister of Kayin ethnic affairs, announced the launch of a design contest through which a winning design will be chosen for the pyit taing htaung which will be use at government events, tourism exhibitions and displayed at different focal points around Yangon.
The contest is organized by the Yangon Region Government Office, Myanmar Tourism Federation and Myanmar Tourism Marketing.
“The pyit taing htaung is a traditional Myanmar toy and people believe that having a pyit taing htaung toy at home is good and [the household] will have more good luck in business. The toy is famous for always getting up by itself when thrown down, so the toy has a lot of good meanings. That’s why we chose pyit taing htaung as Yangon Region’s mascot,” said Naw Pan Thinzar Myo.
She added, “Every country has their own mascot so we should have one too. If we have a mascot, we can give it as a travel gift and people can take photos with the mascot which will be placed in public areas. Then other people can know he or she was in Yangon, Myanmar.”
Daw May Myat Mon Win, chairperson of Myanmar Tourist Marketing said, “Yangon is the heart of Myanmar and has a lot of tourism attractions like historic buildings, pagodas, parks, city nightlife and so on. Tourists come to Yangon first and then continue other regional trip plans. So we think Yangon should have its own mascot to be recognized by the tourists.”
In order to find the most creative design for the pyit taing htaung mascot, they decided to host a design contest. The winner will receive 20 million kyats ($12,850) and the design will be used at events held by the government in the future.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 25 and the organizers will announce a shortlist of designs to the public on Dec. 26 for public voting. They will announce the winner on Jan. 4, 2019.
More details of the contest, rules and the timetable can be found on the Yangon Region government’s website.
