{"id":1534,"date":"2026-10-13T07:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T05:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/?p=1534"},"modified":"2026-10-13T08:03:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T06:03:55","slug":"meet-our-official-mascot-the-jozi-taxi-wapuu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/meet-our-official-mascot-the-jozi-taxi-wapuu\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Our Official Mascot: The Jozi Taxi Wapuu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every WordCamp around the globe brings its own unique energy, culture, and flavor\u2014and nothing captures that spirit better than a custom Wapuu<\/strong><\/sup>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are thrilled to officially unveil the official mascot for WordCamp Johannesburg 2026<\/strong>: meet our Jozi Taxi Wapuu<\/strong><\/sup>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Wapuu?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For those new to the global WordPress community, Wapuu<\/strong> is the official open-source mascot of WordPress<\/sup>. Originally created by Japanese illustrator Kazuko Kaneuchi in 2011 for WordCamp Tokyo, Wapuu was designed as a friendly character holding the WordPress “W” logo<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because Wapuu is open source under the GPL, WordCamps all over the world redesign Wapuu to reflect the heritage, culture, and iconic symbols of their host cities<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Inspiration: Celebrating the Pulse of Johannesburg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When designing the mascot for WordCamp Johannesburg 2026, we wanted a character that represents movement, connection, and true Jozi hustle<\/strong><\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing moves Johannesburg quite like our iconic minibus taxis<\/strong>\u2014the heartbeat of the city\u2019s daily commute, connecting people from all walks of life across the Gold City<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Details Behind Our Wapuu:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • The Jozi Taxi:<\/strong> Perched proudly on a classic white minibus taxi featuring South Africa’s vibrant flag stripes and a local GP \u00b7 JOZI<\/code> license plate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The “Jozi” Bucket Hat (Koppi \/ Isicholo style):<\/strong> Sporting a black bucket hat with “JOZI” embroidered across the front\u2014a staple piece of local streetwear culture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Iconic Johannesburg Skyline:<\/strong> Backed by the unmistakable landmarks of our city, including the Hillbrow Tower<\/strong>, the Nelson Mandela Bridge<\/strong>, the signpost pointing to Soweto<\/strong>, and FNB Stadium (The Calabash)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The WordPress Core:<\/strong> Holding the classic blue WordPress logo close, symbolizing how open-source technology drives our community forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    What Our Wapuu Means to Our Community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Our Wapuu isn’t just a cute graphic\u2014it represents the core mission of WordCamp Johannesburg<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Accessibility & Transport:<\/strong> Just like a taxi connects every corner of the city, WordPress connects developers, creators, business owners, and beginners to new digital opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Local Pride:<\/strong> It celebrates Johannesburg’s vibrant culture, resilience, and unique energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Inclusivity & Connection:<\/strong> WordCamp brings together individuals from every background to share knowledge, learn, and grow together.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Take Wapuu Home with You!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Keep an eye out for our Jozi Taxi Wapuu throughout WordCamp Johannesburg 2026! You\u2019ll see it across our venue, on stage slides, and featured on exclusive event stickers and swag<\/strong> so you can take a piece of Jozi’s WordPress spirit home with you<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Got your ticket yet?<\/strong> Don’t miss out on South Africa’s premier WordPress event<\/sup>. Head over to our Tickets page<\/strong> to grab yours today, and get ready to hop on board with the community!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Every WordCamp around the globe brings its own unique energy, culture, and flavor\u2014and nothing captures that spirit better than a custom Wapuu! We are thrilled to officially unveil the official mascot for WordCamp Johannesburg 2026: meet our Jozi Taxi Wapuu! What is a Wapuu? For those new to the global WordPress community, Wapuu is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15777177,"featured_media":1535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph3TdA-oK","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-08-at-11.34.58.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15777177"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1534"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1537,"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1534\/revisions\/1537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johannesburg.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}