2010年上海世博會吉祥物“海寶”正迎接著全球的友人，藍色“人”字的可愛造形讓所有人耳目一新。海寶，以漢字“人”字為核心創意，配以代表生命和活力的海藍色。他的歡笑，展示著中國積極樂觀、健康向上的精神面貌；他挺胸抬頭的動作和雙手的配合，顯示著包容和熱情；他翹起的大拇指，是對來自世界各地的朋友發出的真誠邀請。

　　Meaning of Haibao 海寶的由來

　　The name of the mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is Hai Bao, which means the treasure of the sea. The name of Hai Bao is easy to remember, echoes with the color of its body and is a typical lucky name in Chinese tradition. Hai Bao is the good well ambassador of Shanghai Expo. He is embracing friends from all over the world with his arms and confident smile.

　　中國2010年上海世博會吉祥物的名字叫“海寶”,意即“四海之寶”。“海寶”的名字朗朗上口，也和他身體的色彩呼應，符合中國民俗的吉祥稱謂原則。“海寶”的名字與吉祥物的形象密不可分，寓意吉祥。海寶是中國2010年上海世博會的形象大使，他正用熱情的雙臂、自信的微笑歡迎來自全球各地的朋友們。

　　Designing concept of the mascot 吉祥物的設計理念

　　Like the mascots for huge worldwide events such as Olympics and World Cup,the mascot of World Expo is very important for interpreting the theme and expressing the culture. The emblems and images of past World Expos have turned into the unique intangible legacy. The World Expo mascots have not only become the representatives of Expo images, but also embody the culture and spirit of hosting countries and cities. Mascot, as the symbol featuring the hosting country, will embody the history, development, culture, concept and social background of the country and will play an important role in the communication in political, economical and cultural fields. The mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is trying to accomplish the following functions:

　　世博會和奧運會、世界杯等超級大型活動一樣，都十分重視吉祥物對于演繹主題、傳承文化的重要作用。歷屆世博會標志和形象已經成為獨特的無形資產，成為世界公認的遺產之一。世博會吉祥物，不僅是世博會形象品牌的重要載體，而且體現了世博會舉辦國家、承辦城市獨特的文化魅力，體現了世博會舉辦國家的民族文化和精神風貌，她已經成為世博會最具價值的無形資產之一。“吉祥物”作為代表東道國特色的標志物，是一個國家文化的象征。她從各個層面反映了東道國的歷史發展、文化觀念、意識形態以及社會背景，并在政治、經濟、文化等多個領域的傳播中扮演著十分重要的角色。中國2010年上海世博會吉祥物在設計理念上，努力實現以下功能：

　　1. To embody the culture of the hosting country.

　　World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is a global event that is hosted by China and undertaken by the city of Shanghai. It is the first time that a developing country will host a registered World Expo. The design of Shanghai Expo mascot must have Chinese cultural characters, state the Chinese cultural spirit and manifest that Shanghai Expo is a platform for worldwide cultural exchange. Meanwhile, the design must accord with Chinese laws and social conventions.

　　（1）體現主辦國家的文化

　　2010年上海世博會是由中國舉辦﹑上海承辦的全球盛會，也是第一次在發展中國家舉辦的綜合類世博會。上海世博會吉祥物設計必須包含中國的文化特征，彰顯中國的文化精神，反映上海世博會中外文化交流的特征。同時，符合中國法律和社會公序良俗的要求。

　　2. To interpret the theme "Better City, Better Life"

　　The mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China should become the unique visual logo of theme development and should be different from the existing mascot images of previous World Expos and international events in theme manifestation and designing. The image of mascot should well express the theme of Shanghai Expo "Better City, Better Life" by using innovative ideas, impressive appearance and motions to state its concept and characters. By exploring the relationship among cities, urban dwellers and planet, the mascot must express the inner relation between heritage and future.The designing concept should be clear and unique, which coincide with the theme and easy for the public to undertand.

　　（2）演繹上海世博會“城市，讓生活更美好”的主題

　　中國2010年上海世博會吉祥物應該成為主題演繹的形象載體和視覺標識，與歷屆世博會或其他國際大型活動已有的吉祥物形象在主題表現、造型設計等方面有明顯區別。吉祥物形象要通過創意提煉、造型設計、理念闡述、性格設定、動作演繹等手段，充分表達上海世博會“城市，讓生活更美好”的主題。通過吉祥物形象生動演繹城市、城市人、城市星球之間的互動關系，深刻表達足跡、夢想之間的內在關聯。設計思路和理念要清晰而獨特，契合主題且易于為廣大受眾理解。

　　3. To have the value of re-creation

　　The mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China should meet the principle of "good looking, easy to understand, easy to remember and easy to use." It should also be suitable for the creation of licensed products, including stationeries, garment, souvenirs and jewelries. The mascot should be easy to be re-created in graphic, solid or electronic media.

　　（3）具有產品衍生和開發的價值

　　中國2010年上海世博會吉祥物要符合“好看、好懂、好記、好用”的原則，具有產品衍生、市場開發的形象基礎和造型前提，具有認知度高、應用性強等特點，適合各種各類玩具、文具、服裝、禮品、飾品等系列衍生產品的設計與開發。在表現形式和技術手段上，適用于平面、立體和電子媒介的傳播和再創作，適用于不同載體對主題演繹和表現樣式的需要。