Karak (mascot)

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Karak
An illustration of an anthropomorphic black cockatoo
Karak depicted on a stamp
In-universe information
SpeciesRed-tailed black cockatoo
GenderMale
NationalityAustralian

Karak was the mascot for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He was modelled on a red-tailed black cockatoo, a threatened species within the host country, Australia.[1]

Karak was initially unveiled by John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia at the time.[2] His backstory states that he came from "Stringy Bark Lane", which was cleared away, causing him grief. He had a grandmother that made seed cakes, a mother that started a family when she was young, two brothers that were shuttlecocks, and a sister that performed well in school.[3] A real red-tailed black cockatoo was named Karak Junior in honor of the mascot.[4] In 2005, the costumed mascot joined with volunteers to count red-tailed black cockatoos in the wild.[5] License plates featuring an image of Karak were sold to raise money for the conservation of red-tailed black cockatoos.[6] In the Athlete's Village at the 2006 Games, a mascot race was held between Karak and the mascots of participating national teams.[7] Plush toys of Karak were also produced and sold.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "M2006 > Karak the Mascot". m2006.thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.
  2. ^ "Karak the cocky unveiled as Games mascot". ABC News. 1 April 2004.
  3. ^ "Karak the Mascot". m2006.thecgf.com. 6 May 2005. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
  4. ^ "Athletes join Karak Junior's first birthday celebrations". m2006.thecgf.com. 28 November 2005. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
  5. ^ "Volunteers join annual count for Games Mascot 'Karak'". m2006.thecgf.com. 1 May 2005. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
  6. ^ "Special Karak number plates push Games environment efforts". m2006.thecgf.com. 7 September 2005. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
  7. ^ "Mascots go head to head". m2006.thecgf.com. 24 March 2006. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
  8. ^ "Toy mascot 'Karak' - 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2025-08-07.