Mistar Urdd
Encyclopedia
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
, white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
and green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
of the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
youth movement, Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
dde|200px|thumb|The Urdd logoUrdd Gobaith Cymru, literally, the Welsh League of Hope, but normally translated as the Welsh League of Youth, or merely referred to as the Urdd, is a Welsh-medium youth movement with over 1,500 branches and over 50,000 members...
(The Welsh League of Youth).
Created in September 1976 by Wynne Melville Jones, a marketing assistant at the Urdd who doodled a face onto a badge of the logo, Mistar Urdd became a hugely popular figure, touring schools and attending Eisteddfodau. Plush versions of the character were available in a range of sizes, and his image has been used on a number of t-shirts.
Although well known within Wales for three decades, Mistar Urdd's fame has been spread further afield thanks to the rock band Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
whose song Trôns Mr Urdd (Mr Urdd's Underpants) is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the character. The song appears on the B-Side of the band's 1997 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
Hermann Loves Pauline and on the American special-edition version of their album "Mwng
Mwng
Mwng is the fourth studio album by Welsh rock band the Super Furry Animals, and the first by the group to have lyrics written entirely in the Welsh language. Mwng was released on 15 May 2000 on the band's own record label, Placid Casual, following the demise of their former label Creation...
".
Coincidentally, Mistar Urdd's own pop career reached its pinnacle during the mid 1970s with a song titled Hei, Mistar Urdd,
including the classic chorus:
- Hei, Mistar Urdd, yn dy goch, gwyn a gwyrdd,
- Mae hwyl i gael ym mhobman yn dy gwmni.
- Hei, Mistar Urdd, tyrd am dro ar hyd y ffyrdd
- Cawn ganu'n cân i holl ieuenctid Cymru.
which translates into English as:
- Hey, Mr Urdd in your red, white and green,
- There's fun to be had in your company everywhere.
- Hey, Mr Urdd, come for a stroll along the roads,
- We'll sing our song to all of Wales's youth.