Mascot René
Meet René the exponaut from Czech Galaxy
Let us introduce René – the official mascot of the Czech national pavilion – in a short film. 🎬
Who is exponaut René?
René is a crystalline being, as friendly and playful as glass itself. He comes from the Czech Republic galaxy and embodies the main theme of the Czech participation at EXPO:"Talent and Creativity for Life."
René represents the Czech Republic at EXPO in two forms. The first is an originalglass sculpture by the prominent Czech glassmaker and artist René Roubíček, who created the sculpture "Cloud-Water, Source of Life" for the Czechoslovak pavilion at EXPO 1970 in Osaka.
As a friend of the officialJapanese mascot MYAKU-MYAKUhe symbolizes not only long-standingcooperation between the Czech Republic and Japanand pays tribute to the success of the Czechoslovak pavilion at EXPO 1970, which received an award for architecture from the Japanese organizers.
A Tribute to René Roubíček
Thus, through the mascot, René Roubíčeksymbolically returns to Osaka after 55 yearsand becomes the only artist whose works have been exhibited at both world exhibitions in this city.
A symbol of Czech-Japanese cooperation
Due to the totalitarian regime, the authors of the Czechoslovak pavilion, as well as many exhibitors, including Roubíček, were never able to visit it.
Kimokawaii René
The second version of the mascot René was created with Japanese culture in mind, where mascots enjoy great popularity. Its design draws on the kimokawaii aesthetic, which blends the strange with the adorable. René’s green color is a nod to uranium glass – an unusual material that Roubíček was among the first in the world to work with.
After René was introduced to the Japanese public, social media was flooded with fan creations – some posts even reached millions of views within a short time.
René on a stamp
Thanks to its unique design, René has become a key visual element of Czechia's participation, appearing, for example, on a special edition of postage stamps issued to commemorate the EXPO.
Uniforms by Jan Černý
You can also find René on the uniforms of the Czech National Pavilion staff, which were designed by prominent Czech fashion designer Jan Černý under his brand Jan Société.
The first ever Czech EXPO song
René also appeared alongside the Czech singer Karolina Neuvirthová from the duo Karol&Kvído in the music video of the Czech EXPO song.
It playfully showcases world inventions that were first introduced at world exhibitions and are now an integral part of our daily lives – such as the telephone, X-ray, elevator, or touch screens.
