Octopus unveils mascot 'Dood Yeah' to make payments more fun

Octopus Cards has unveiled its first mascot, "Dood Yeah" (嘟爺), a grounded, lovable, and witty orange octopus character, to deepen its connection with Hongkongers, especially Gen Z. 

This builds on Octopus’ belief that, as a brand already part of the social fabric in Hong Kong—where people of all ages and from different walks of life are integral to its brand story—this new mascot serves as its continued outreach to connect with customers through fresh and creative avenues.

A spokesperson from Octopus Cards told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that Dood Yeah brings dynamic energy and interactive storytelling to its payment ecosystem, making its daily use cases feel friendly and relatable. He is also part of the social conversation and, most notably, a key part of Octopus' recent Chinese New Year buzz. "We hope people will relate to Dood Yeah, as he explores and go around Hong Kong with Octopus with his witty and fun character."

To mark the launch, Octopus has unveiled a short film that tells the origin story of Dood Yeah. In the AI-generated video—with dedicated fine-tuning and post-production—it follows an alien who discovers the very first Octopus card and treasures it like gold. To learn how to use the all-purpose card properly, the alien sends a team to Hong Kong to experience local life firsthand.

Through this film, Octopus also seeks to give Dood Yeah a fun origin story, helping everyone get to know him better, while adding an interactive twist to his big debut.

Moving forward, Dood Yeah will be the friendly face demonstrating Octopus Cards’ daily use cases, enhancing product education, helping to translate local retail and transportation, online and outbound travel payment services into fun, everyday stories. Consumers will see Dood Yeah everywhere—from exploring Hong Kong and discovering places abroad, to shopping at different merchants and sharing helpful tips. 

Jaslin Goh, director of marketing, communication and data, Octopus, said: “This started off as an idea with our younger colleagues, and with the use of AI, the team ran with it and we are also curious to see where it leads us!”

Don’t miss: Octopus launches ‘tap to win’ instant rewards for CNY

Back in February, Octopus Cards launched a Chinese New Year promotion that allowed users of Mobile Octopus or JoyYou Cards to win instant rewards at participating merchants equipped with the new Octopus reader.

Running from 14 to 19 February, the “Tap to get a chance to win Octopus value HK$28 reward” (「一嘟即發」新春獎賞) initiative included customers who make a single purchase of HK$100 or more using a mobile Octopus or a JoyYou Card at any participating merchant stores equipped with the new Octopus reader. These customers had the chance to instantly win an Octopus Reward valued at up to HK$28.

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