Expo Oz Embassy

A World-Wide Expo Oz Gallery of Memorabilia and Memories

Expo Oz - the popular platypus mascot of World Expo '88 - was commissioned on the 30 April 1984 - by the Premier of the State of Queensland - the Honourable Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen MP - and soon became a familiar figure in the Expo's official newspapers, The Courier-Mail, and The Sunday Mail, as well as becoming a jet-setting representative for World Expo '88 throughout the Australian states, and to Asia, America, and Europe, where his happy-go-lucky Australian confidence shone through on every occasion - and soon became a popular fixture in all official advertisements for the Expo - TV, Newspaper, and Magazines - as well as on stickers, magnets, keyrings - and over 500 other specialty Expo Oz memorabilia made for Expo - from coffee mugs to umbrellas, T-shirts to badges, ear-rings to amulets - and more - that could be purchased at any of the World Expo '88 Official Souvenir Shops - both on-site and throughout Brisbane City.

During Expo - he was a constant figure of Expo entertainment - the star of the Daily Day Parade - where he would lead the flotilla of floats and performers, as well as a central character in the daily international Expo Oz dance and music Show at the Expo's Piazza 'village-square' entertainment venue - with friendly mascots from Great Britain (a lion), the U.S.S.R. (a bear), the U.S.A. (an eagle), and the People's Republic of China (a panda) and others.

He also featured in each evening's laser shows at the Amphitheatre and River Stage - as a laser animation - where - for the first time - he, with a bevy of other Australian animals, was brought to life with this new medium of technology and entertainment. And of course, one cannot forget the striking figure he made whilst riding on a gold-and-silver floating horse leading the Expo's Opening Ceremony Parade from Brisbane's City Hall to the Melbourne Street Gate of the Exposition - where, with Expo CEO & Chair Sir Llew Edwards, and other Expo officials, he officially opened the Expo's gates to the many-thousand waiting Expo public.

He even featured in a cartoon children's book written especially for the Expo - 'The Story of Expo Oz' - which we hope to produce here in a digital edition. And, of course, no one can forget the Expo Oz Chocolate Factory at the Cadbury Pavilion at Expo - where one could view each stage of the chocolate-making process, and purchase and enjoy one - or a dozen - or more Expo Oz miniature chocolates.

This page serves as a central point of reference for ALL things Expo Oz - with the intent on cataloging and displaying a photograph of every made Expo Oz official item of memorabilia - starting with this grid-table, and hopefully, a digital reproduction of 'The Story of Expo Oz' - as a turn page-by-page digital book - in the near future.