FC Barcelona celebrates its 125th anniversary: a mascot, a song and an 8-minute spot

Jane Anderson

December 3, 2024

He FC Barcelona This year it celebrated its 125th anniversary. Over the last few months it has carried out a series of actions and initiatives that this weekend reached their peak at a gala in Barcelona, where some of the faces that have been part of the club over the last few years.
However, the Catalan team has commemorated the milestone with various communication activations.

“We want the ball”

One of the most notable actions has been the creation of a spot lasting almost eight minutes, which the club defines more as “an artistic piece”. It has been produced by ProdCo and directed by the advertising and narrative director Leigh Powisand involves a tour of the club history from the dialogue that is established between the stands and the game, between the fans and the ball, and a first-person narrative, which expresses the memory of a child who is now an adult.

“Volem la pilota” (We want the ball) uses different voice-overs and several people of different ages whose testimonies are intertwined and also mixed with images from the past and present. Although the fans are the key element, they also appear identifying elements of Catalan culture and Barça personalitiessuch as current players, legends of the past and historical presidents.
The video closes with the slogan “At Football Club Barcelona we have been wanting the ball for 125 years” and the intervention of the player Leo Messi.

“We want the ball” extrapolates the football meaning, as it is a way of making things unique not only to Barça, but is also part of Catalan culture, of understanding life in a certain way.“, expresses the club in a statement. FC Barcelona points out that the video has sought to reflect the commitment to a very specific way of understanding the game and the recognizable style of Barça.

“L’escut al pit”

FC Barcelona has also created a specific song for its 125th anniversary, titled, “L’escut al pit”, It has lyrics by Xavier González-Costa, music by Carles Cases and vocal interpretation by Orfeó Català and Dracs 1991. The theme has been chosen by the members upon receiving the 63% of the votes.

In this way, the song has prevailed over two other options: “Un sentiment”, with lyrics by Marc Ricós and music by Núria Graham; and “Del bressol a l’infinit”, with lyrics by David Bricollé and music by Albert Guinovart.
The club highlights that the selection has been the result of a collaborative processor, launched in May, and which has appealed to the creativity of the Barcelona social masses.

The song was presented on Friday at the 125th Anniversary Gala held at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, where the three candidate songs were performed live. The song was also played on Saturday at the Olympic Stadium in the match against UD Las Palmas.

Cat, the mascot of FC Barcelona

The Catalan club’s anniversary is also being celebrated with a mascot, which they have named Cat, a wild cat, which is a feline native to Catalonia. The creative process has been led by the area of Identity of FC Barcelona and has been developed in collaboration with the animation studio Grangel Studio.
The production of the mascot and those in charge of giving it life have been DDT Special Effects.

The club assures that Cat has the most characteristic elements of Barça. What’s more, it has been created from the team’s shield, in such a way that the edges of the emblem shape his ears, as well as his cheeks and large smiling mouth. In addition, the team’s colors also shape the character, appearing in blue and scarlet, as well as yellow and white.

The team points out in a statement that Cat is characterized “for being culé, charismatic, innovative, leader, demanding, creative and integrative”. She also explains that she is not defined by a specific gender, that she has an affable and positive character, and that she also seeks to be an expression of Catalanness. He is happy, enthusiastic about football, but also about all the sports that are part of FC Barcelona.

The masctoa will be present in sporting and institutional events of the day-to-day life of the Club. He has already made his debut alongside the men’s first team at the Olympic Stadium in the aforementioned match against UD Las Palmas. Cat also has its own profile on Instagram and TikTok (@catculer).

As a complement, and in line with the commitment to inclusion and accessibility, FC Barcelona has created, together with ONCE, a sensory box for blind or visually impaired people, which allows you to “see” the pet through touch.
It is a relief painting in which different textures have been used to represent the parts of the face and body, and durable and safe materials, easy to clean, have been used, using chromatic contrasts to differentiate the elements.