A Changhua County man yesterday welcomed the Year of Pig with a new haircut featuring two characters from the British cartoon series Peppa Pig, Peppa and Baby George.
Barber Chen Hsiang-hao (陳祥豪), 38, said that in the past few years he had been creating hair portraits for his clients, ranging from Bruce Lee (李小龍) and Mickey Mouse to characters from the Japanese comic One Piece.
The man who wanted Peppa and George, who wished only to be identified by his surname Cheng (鄭), was a repeat customer, Chen said.
Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Taipei Times
Last year, Cheng’s haircut featured a pineapple design, since pineapples are a symbol of prosperity to Taiwanese, along with the Chinese character wan (旺, prosper), Chen said.
Cheng told him he wanted a new haircut in a style befitting the Year of the Pig, so he suggested a design incorporating Peppa Pig and George Pig, along with four characters — zhu nian da ji (豬年大吉, “Good fortune in everything in Year of Pig”), Chen said.
“The most difficult parts are the eyes and the color-dye,” he said.
While the shaving technique to create Peppa was easier, because the pig is a fictional character, “for it to appear lifelike, the expression of the eyes is crucial, as are the different colors in details such as Peppa’s cheeks and eyes,” he added
Cheng’s new look took six hours to achieve and cost him NT$8,500, Chen said.
Cheng said he was very satisfied with his new look.
The cartoon characters create excitement among children wherever he goes, Cheng said.
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