Globus is coming to town

Winterthur looks set to finally get its own Globus store. Did you know that the group is owned by Switzerland's largest retailer, Migros? And of course, their former mascot, Globi, probably the most well-known character in the whole of Switzerland.

I am amazed at how long the popularity of this little star, whose first appearance was in 1932, has lasted. Globi is a blue parrot with a yellow beak who wears a black beret and a pair of red and black chequered trousers. 

He was created by the Swiss cartoonist Robert Lips as an advertising character for Globus in 1932 for the company's 25th anniversary. He was originally planned to be called ‘Kimbukku’, but later renamed Globi after the local Basel German (Baseldytsch) dialect word for the department store that created him. Apart from zillions of cartoon books and a more recent movie, Globi also has his very own theme park in Engelberg.