The official mascot for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has been revealed today as 'Perry' - a bull adorned with a patchwork of multi-coloured hexagons.

Perry is inspired by the design of ten-year-old Emma Lou, the winner of a national design competition that took place over the summer of 2020. The competition tasked children aged 5-15 with creating a mascot that reflects the identity, heritage and culture of Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The summit saw more than 50 children from across Birmingham and the West Midlands take part in tasks to develop the mascot’s characteristics, values and movements, helping to inspire Perry’s personality.

Perry becomes an icon for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the biggest sports event to be held in the UK for a decade and will be seen by a global audience of more than one billion people. He is also the first mascot at any multi-sport games who will be brought to life through augmented reality, giving people the opportunity to take a picture using their mobile phone camera, using a special filter on Facebook and Instagram. Users can summon an animated, 3D version of Perry into their living rooms, pose for pictures with him, and can share their photos on social media.

The mascot is named after the Perry Barr area of Birmingham, the home of the Alexander Stadium, which will host the athletics events at the Games, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium is undergoing a £72 million transformation in time for the Games.

The mascot’s rainbow coloured hexagons represent the coming together of the Commonwealth in equal partnership with the diverse communities of Birmingham and the West Midlands at the Games in 2022.

Perry is a friendly, kind and cheeky bull, an animal with which Birmingham has been synonymous for centuries. The city has had a market area known as the Bull Ring since the 16th century; the site is close to the current Bullring shopping centre, with an iconic bronze bull statue at its entrance. 

Perry is wearing a medal, which references Birmingham’s iconic Jewellery Quarter, the UK’s centre for jewellery and precious metals for more than two hundred years. The area still produces around 40% of the country’s jewellery and is home to one of the world’s largest Assay Offices, hallmarking millions of gold, silver and platinum items each year.

The mascot’s sports kit includes blue, red and yellow stripes, a nod to the colours of the official flag of Birmingham, and the city’s motto, Forward.

An animated video telling the story of Perry’s personality and characteristics has also been unveiled today. The animation is narrated by comedian Guz Khan, creator and star of critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Man Like Mobeen, a comedic take on life in inner city Birmingham.

A range of mascot clothing and accessories are available to buy from today from the newly launched Birmingham 2022 online shop, which can be found online at shop.birmingham2022.com. Chief Executive of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Ian Reid, said:

“Perry is everything I hoped our mascot would be and more: bright, colourful, energetic and totally representative of modern Birmingham and the West Midlands. Perry celebrates diversity, community, and our region’s heritage as well as its future.

“From today, Perry becomes a powerful icon for Birmingham 2022 all over the world, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of him during the countdown to the Games. He is a symbol of the coming together of the Commonwealth in Birmingham, and I am sure young and old will love him as much as I do!”

President of Commonwealth Games England and Olympic champion, Denise Lewis OBE, added:

“When I helped to launch the mascot competition last year, I knew the imagination of our children would produce an inspiring and unique mascot like Perry. I was blown away by the creativity of the children who took part in the Virtual Mascot Summit, and it’s lovely to see so many of the ideas we discussed come to life in this mascot.

“Perry represents the heritage of Birmingham and the West Midlands, as well as what the modern region stands for. Perry is right up there with the fantastic mascots I’ve seen during my athletics career, and I can’t wait to see him entertaining the crowds during the Games next year!”

Emma Lou was told the news she’d won the competition with a special visit from Perry to her home. She said:

“I feel as if I’m in a dream! I think the mascot is great, he looks so cute. I am really excited to come to the Commonwealth Games and it will be amazing to see Perry in the Opening Ceremony.

“I chose a bull because of the Bullring in Birmingham, and I decided to use hexagons because they are the strongest shape and the whole world depends on each other. I am so excited that my design will be seen by so many people!”

To find out more about Perry, including details of how to #PoseWithPerry using augmented reality on a mobile phone, head to birmingham2022.com/mascot.