TRP
Now Reading
Bear-y Cute! VM2026’s Wira & Manja Have Us All Begging For More
TRP
TRP

Bear-y Cute! VM2026’s Wira & Manja Have Us All Begging For More

The Malayan sun bear mascots Wira and Manja wearing batik wear have won the hearts of hard-to-please Malaysians.

by
January 7, 2025
Credit: Tourism Malaysia & Unsplash

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

Tourism Malaysia recently revealed the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) sun bear mascots – Wira and Manja – which have quickly won the hearts of many thanks to their super adorable looks!

Tourism Malaysia chose Wira and Manja as mascots to reflect the country’s commitment to wildlife conservation. After all, the Malayan sun bear is an endangered species.

Wira, the male bear, wears the Visit Malaysia 2026 badge on his chest while sporting a batik scarf around his neck.

Meanwhile, Manja, the female bear, wears a batik sash around her torso with a similarly designed bow on her head. She’s also distinguishable from Wira due to her red cheeks and eyelashes.

Additionally, the batik pattern and colours were also carefully chosen to represent the five major communities in Malaysia: Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sabahans, and Sarawakians.

Those with an eye for detail will quickly notice that the logo’s font is inspired by Malaysia’s traditional wood carving with the national flower, the hibiscus (bunga raya), featured prominently.

The popular tagline “Truly Asia” from 1999 remains but has subtle changes to the design.

Three of the country’s airlines – Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, and Batik Air – will be carrying the new Visit Malaysia 2026 livery as well.

Malaysians find the sun bears “super cute” and want more of them

Many people online gushed over the duo, with some already enquiring about merchandise such as soft toys, caps sporting bear ears, batik ribbons, and keychains.

They also suggested Tourism Malaysia release blind box figures of the mascots for sale. Some have also started drawing fan art of Wira and Manja to show their love and support.

Previously, Tourism Malaysia’s mascot in 2020 was the rhinoceros hornbill. Other mascots in the previous years include the Proboscis Monkey (VM2014) and an orangutan named Wira (VM1990).

Get to know more about the Malayan sun bear

The Malayan sun bears are also known as honey bears. They’re literally like Winnie the Pooh due to their love of honey.

The sun bear is also the smallest and one of the rarest of all the bear species. They’re easily recognizable by a bib-shaped golden or white patch on their chest.

Like the rest of our local wildlife, sun bears face various threats such as habitat loss and poaching for traditional medicines and delicacies. Sadly, some have been illegally kept as pets due to their cute looks.

Image: TRP File

While the sun bears may be cute as mascots, do not approach the real bears in the wild.

They may be cute but they can still kill when threatened. In September 2024, a man died in Gua Musang, Kelantan after succumbing to the injuries he sustained from a sunbear attack.

On another note, there’s a sun bear enclosure in Zoo Negara if you feel like visiting and learning about the magnificent creature from a safe distance.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.

Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.

Tags
TRP

© 2024 The Rakyat Post. All Rights Reserved. Owned by 3rd Wave Media Sdn Bhd