This page will contain blogs about crazy frog, as they become available.

Crazy Frog

Annoying Thing Singing Plush

Crazy Frog is a character used in the marketing of a ring tone based on 'The Annoying Thing', a computer animation created by Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba! (known as Jamster! in some markets), the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl while attempting to imitate the sound of a two-stroke moped engine. The Crazy Frog spawned a worldwide hit single with a remix of "Axel F", which reached the number one spot in the UK, Australia and most of Europe, although relatively unknown (aside from a few internet pop-up ads, and several commericals) in the United States. The album Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits and second single "Popcorn" continue to enjoy worldwide chart success. The Crazy Frog has also spawned a range of merchandise and toys which were very popular for Christmas 2005. Negotiations are also underway for a TV series based on the character.

History

In 1997, 17-year-old Swede Daniel Malmedahl recorded himself impersonating the sounds produced by internal combustion engines. He posted this on a website and caught the attention of a Swedish television researcher, who convinced Daniel to perform the sound live on air.

After Daniel's television debut, recordings of his performance began appearing on peer to peer file sharing networks and various websites under the filename "2TAKTARE.MP3" ("Tvåtaktare" is Swedish for "Two stroker").

The original insanity test animation

The sound effect was quickly included in other Flash animations that spread virally among Internet users. The most notable example was the Insanity test, which required test subjects to keep a straight face while staring at a photograph of Rubens Barrichello in a Ferrari Formula 1 car as the sound effect was played.

In 2003, Malmedahl's fellow Swede Erik Wernquist encountered the sound effect and was inspired to create the 3D animation "The Annoying Thing" to accompany it. Erik used the LightWave 3D modelling application to produce the animation and posted it on his website. The animation was a popular attraction at Erik's website, but the sound was credited to "Anonymous". Eventually, word reached Daniel that his impressions had been used in a now well-known animation. He contacted Erik, apparently giving an impromptu performance to confirm his claims. Erik was convinced, and gave due credit to Daniel for his creation.

Description

The title character in The Annoying Thing is an anthropomorphic amphibian that is quite frog-like in appearance. The character wears only a white motorcycle helmet with the chinstrap unfastened, a leather jacket, and goggles. His toes are webbed, and the iris of the left eye is significantly larger than that of the right. An upper right front tooth is missing. Also present is a set of ambiguous but controversial genitalia.

In the animation, the character imitates the hand movements required to rotate the twistgrip controls of a motorcycle while making the sound of an engine ignition. As the imaginary engine starts, the character begins to levitate as exhaust fumes are discharged from his body. The character then disappears into the distance at high speed.

Ringtone

In 2004, the Germany based Jamba! group (ultimately owned by VeriSign) licensed the animation and sound for distribution as a mobile phone ringtone. Jamba! (trading under names such as Jamster!, RingtoneKing, and others) accompanied the release of the ringtone with a barrage of advertising. It soon became the most recognisable commercially available ringtone in the United Kingdom.

Jamba! have earned an estimated £14 million from the ringtone ([1]), making it the most commercially successful ringtone of all time. Jamba! have also produced other successful animated creature ringtones, including Sweety the Chick and Nessie the Dragon, and produced other ringtones featuring the Crazy Frog including Crazy DJ Frog. There is also a series of Crazy Frog World Tour tones featuring the Frog performing his usual vocalisations against backgrounds of various countries' musical styles. These include the sitar-based "Crazy Frog India", reggae-flavoured "Crazy Frog Jamaica" and Jimmy Barnes-esque "Crazy Frog Australian Rock". Jamba! also have available "The Crazy Frog is Puking", "Crazy Frog and Its Girlfriend", in which he is apparently making out, and "The Crazy Frog is F**king", in which gasping and smacking skin can be heard.

Controversy

Advertising

In February 2005, viewers submitted a number of complaints to the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority regarding Jamba!'s advertising campaign, complaining that Crazy Frog appeared to have genitalia. Some parents complained that this made inappropriate viewing for children, claiming that the commercial had prompted embarrassing questions. There were also complaints regarding the frequency with which the advertisement appeared on television, reportedly up to twice an hour across most of the day[2], with some channels showing it more than once per commercial break.

The ASA did not uphold the complaints, pointing out that the advert was already classified as inappropriate for airing during children's television programmes as it contained a premium rate telephone number, and furthermore added that it was the broadcasters' decision as to how often an advertisement should be shown. However, Jamba! voluntarily censored the character's genital area in later broadcasts of its advertisements. The full adjudication (PDF) is available online. Similar action occurred in Australia, with similar results. complaints dismissed (PDF)

In April 2005, television viewers complained about misleading advertisements produced by Jamba!, trading as Jamster! and RingtoneKing. Viewers felt that it was not made sufficiently clear that they were subscribing to a service, rather than paying a one-time fee for their ringtone. The complaints were upheld; the full adjudication (PDF) is available online. It costs £3 a week to subscribe to Jamster!'s service.

In May 2005, viewers inundated the ASA with new complaints regarding the continuous airing of the latest Crazy Frog advertisements. The intensity of the advertising was unprecedented in British television history. According to The Guardian, Jamster bought 73,716 spots across all TV channels in May alone – an average of nearly 2,378 slots daily – at a cost of about £8 million, just under half of which was spent on ITV. 87% of the population saw the Crazy Frog adverts an average of 26 times, 15% of the adverts appeared twice during the same advertising break and 66% were in consecutive ad breaks. An estimated 10% of the population saw the advert more than 60 times. (source: Media Guardian, 20 June 2005)

As the authority had already adjudicated on the matter and confirmed the matter was not within its remit, the unusual step was taken of adding a notice to their online and telephone complaints system informing viewers that Jamster!-related complaints should be directed towards the broadcaster or the regulator, Ofcom[3][4].

On 21 September 2005, the ASA ruled that the Crazy Frog, along with other Jamba ringtone advertisements, must be shown after 9pm (pdf) [5].

Computer virus

In March 2005, anti-virus vendors discovered the W32/Crog.worm computer virus (a contraction of Crazy Frog), which spreads through file-sharing networks and MSN Messenger, exploiting the Crazy Frog's notoriety with a promise of an animation depicting his demise[6][7].

Single releases

Crazy Frog - Axel F

Bass Bumpers: Axel F (note genitals are censored) Erik Wernquist's Axel F music video.

Main article: Axel F (Crazy Frog song)

A German dance duo named Bass Bumpers made a dance single starring the Crazy Frog, mixed with Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F". The single was released on May 23, 2005 and reached the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart ([8]), outselling the nearest contender, Coldplay, by three or four copies to one. This is the official song endorsed by Jamster! and actually samples the original sound; subsequent songs created their own samples of the sound. An example of this is Robert Mackle's "Crazy Frog vs Coldplay"[9], which parodied the chart drama between the two.

As of the summer of 2005, the song remained in the Top Ten in many European music charts and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

Music video

The Ministry of Sound commissioned Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist, the original creator of the Crazy Frog, to produce a full-length animated music video to accompany the release of "Axel F" and featuring the Crazy Frog character. The animation is set in the future and centers on the pursuit of the Crazy Frog by a bounty hunter. The bounty hunter receives notification of a $50,000 reward for the capture of the Crazy Frog, who is only identified as "The most annoying thing in the world", a reference to Wernquist's original name for the creature.

Despite the song's popularity, the music video has received very little airplay in the UK. Both VH1 and TMF have also omitted it from their Number Ones marathons, despite the fact that other chart-topping "annoying" novelty singles such as Mr. Blobby and Bob The Builder were included.

  • The official Crazy Frog Axel F website
  • Single website
  • Press release, including sound clips

iTunes release

The Register reports that iTunes has the single with an illustration of an emasculated frog.

They also link to a site where you can batter the frog with a baseball bat.

  • iTunes emasculates Crazy Frog
  • Crazy Frog battered in net orgy of violence

Crazy Frog - Popcorn

The CD cover of Crazy Frog - Popcorn.

Main article: Popcorn (Crazy Frog song)

The next official Crazy Frog single, "Popcorn", premiered on Top of the Pops in the UK. It is a remix of Gershon Kingsley original "Popcorn" from 1969 and best known as Hot Butter's hit from 1972. It was released on August 22nd 2005 in the UK, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart.

Crazy Frog - Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This

Main article: Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This

The Christmas single release for the Crazy Frog is a cover of "Jingle Bells" and also a cover of the MC Hammer single "U Can't Touch This". It entered the Austrailian chart at #4 on 28 November [10] and in the UK Singles Chart at #5 on 18 December.

Pondlife - Ring Ding Ding

Pondlife: Ring Ding Ding

On February 17, 2005, a group of producers naming themselves Pondlife announced that the Crazy Frog would be released as a single. The people behind this were radio DJs Wes Butters, Trevor Jordan and Daryl Denham along with studio-owner Maurice Cheetham.

On March 19, 2005, Pondlife held open auditions to find a live action Crazy Frog to star in their accompanying music video. Clips of the live action frog can be found here

The track is called "Ring Ding Ding," and was released on 6 June 2005. It reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart, two weeks after the Axel F version had charted.

  • Single website
  • Press release
  • Announcing auditions

Frog Must Die - Kill The Frog

On June 20, 2005, a song called "Kill The Frog" by Frog Must Die was released in the UK. Since the song did not appear in the top 250 of the UK Singles Chart, it is unclear whether the single was postponed, or simply failed to sell enough copies. As the name suggests, this CD is about killing the Crazy Frog.

L.O.C. - Ring Ding Ding (Frog)

On June 27, 2005, a song called "Ring Ding Ding (Frog)" by L.O.C. was released in the UK. It reached number 58 in the UK Singles Chart. This song sampled the Crazy Frog sound.

  • L.O.C. Information

Singles - Discography

Axel F CD1 Of 3

  1. Axel F (Radio Mix)
  2. Axel F (Bounce Mix)
  3. Axel F (Bounce Mix Instrumental)
  4. Axel F (Resevoir Frogs Mix)
  5. Axel F (Video)

CD2 Of 3

  1. Axel F (Radio Mix)
  2. Axel F (Bounce Mix)

CD3 Of 3 (DVD Import - Not Released In UK)

  1. Axel F (Video)
  2. Axel F (Making Of The Video)
  3. Axel F (Behind The Scenes Of The Video)

Popcorn (Crazy Frog song) CD1 Of 1

  1. Popcorn (Radio Mix)
  2. Popcorn (Resevoir Mix)
  3. Popcorn (Resevoir Instrumental Mix)
  4. Popcorn (Bounce Mix)
  5. Popcorn (Video)

Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This CD1 Of 2

  1. Jingle Bells (Radio Mix)
  2. U Can't Touch This (Video Mix)
  3. Jingle Bells (Club Vocal Mix)
  4. I Like To Move It (Club Mix)
  5. Jingle Bells (Video)
  6. U Can't Touch This (Video)
  7. Jingle Bells (U-Myx Format)

CD2 Of 2 (Import Not Released In The UK)

  1. U Can't Touch This (Album Mix)
  2. Jingle Bells (Radio Mix)
  3. Last Christmas (Album Exclusive)
  4. U Can't Touch This (Video Mix)
  5. Jingle Bells (Club Vocal Mix)
  6. Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This (Medley Mix)
  7. U Can't Touch This (Resevoir Mix)
  8. Jingle Bells (Resevoir Mix)
  9. U Can't Touch This (Bounce Mix)
  10. Jingle Bells (Bounce Mix)
  11. U Can't Touch This (Boucne Mix Instrumental)
  12. Jingle Bells (Boucne Mix Instrumental)
  13. U Can't Touch This (Video)
  14. Jingle Bells (Video)
  15. U Can't Touch This (U-Myx Format)
  16. Jingle Bells (U-Myx Format)

Australian Singles Peak Positions

  • Axel F - #1 (4 Weeks)
  • Popcorn - #10
  • Jingle Bells - #4

Album releases

Crazy Hits

The CD cover of Crazy Frog - Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits.

Main article: Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits

An album entitled Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits was released on July 25, 2005. [11]. Samples from the song are available on the Crazy Hits website. It reached #5 on the UK Albums Chart and #19 on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart.

Video Games

Crazy Frog Racer

On July 1, 2005, UK-based publishers Digital Jesters announced that they had acquired the rights to the video game licence for the Crazy Frog. Crazy Frog Racer, released in December 2005, is a racing game for the PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance and PC[12].

Merchandise

A recent string of Crazy Frog merchandise has been released in the UK [13] , under the name "The Annoying Thing" due to copyright and licensing restrictions. These items are picked as big sellers for Christmas 2005, particularly the Annoying Thing Singing Plush which plays the ringtone when squeezed. Other products available include a board game, a desktop nodder, keyring, backpack, lunchbox and air freshener.

TV series

The German production company The League of Good People is in talks with broadcasters about a TV series based on Crazy Frog. PLEASE FOR ALL THINGS GOOD AND HOLY DO NOT MAKE A SHOW

  • Article on negotiations

Tour

On November 23, 2005, music news site Undercover announced that the Crazy Frog will be touring Australia, beginning in Perth on December 4 and continuing through other major capital cities. Venues and dates have been confirmed - the Frog will be playing shopping centres and major hospitals. [14]


This page about crazy frog includes information from a Wikipedia article.
Additional articles about crazy frog
News stories about crazy frog
External links for crazy frog
Videos for crazy frog
Wikis about crazy frog
Discussion Groups about crazy frog
Blogs about crazy frog
Images of crazy frog

[14]. Recently ICC choose Dubai as its new Headquarters leaving Lords which hosted ICC for 95 years. Venues and dates have been confirmed - the Frog will be playing shopping centres and major hospitals. Dubai is fast gaining its name as international venue for sporting activities. On November 23, 2005, music news site Undercover announced that the Crazy Frog will be touring Australia, beginning in Perth on December 4 and continuing through other major capital cities. Dubai maintains cultural, economic and educational ties with Dundee, Scotland, Damascus, Detroit, Geneva, Istanbul, Osaka, Beirut, Shangai, Jarusalem, Casablanca, Guangzhou,. PLEASE FOR ALL THINGS GOOD AND HOLY DO NOT MAKE A SHOW. There is no home postal delivery with post office boxes used instead.

The German production company The League of Good People is in talks with broadcasters about a TV series based on Crazy Frog. Street 1a, Villa 2
Umm Suqeim 3
Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Other products available include a board game, a desktop nodder, keyring, backpack, lunchbox and air freshener. For example:. These items are picked as big sellers for Christmas 2005, particularly the Annoying Thing Singing Plush which plays the ringtone when squeezed. In common practice, an address consists of: street number, building number and community name although the order may very. A recent string of Crazy Frog merchandise has been released in the UK [13] , under the name "The Annoying Thing" due to copyright and licensing restrictions. Addressing and location: The formal addressing system is: sector number, community number, street number and building number.

Crazy Frog Racer, released in December 2005, is a racing game for the PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance and PC[12]. Note that these progressions are repeated within each community so, for example there will be numerous street number 5 along the Jumeirah 1, 2, 3, and Umm Suqeim 'strip'. On July 1, 2005, UK-based publishers Digital Jesters announced that they had acquired the rights to the video game licence for the Crazy Frog. Odd numbered street are perpendicular to the coast and increase as one moves away from the creek. It reached #5 on the UK Albums Chart and #19 on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart. In general, even numbered streets run parallel to the coast and increase in number as one goes inland. Samples from the song are available on the Crazy Hits website. Within these communities are numbered streets and house/building numbers.

[11]. Communities:. An album entitled Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits was released on July 25, 2005. Currently there are 44 communities. Main article: Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits. Each sector is sub-divided into communities of various size with major (named) roads as the bountries. Australian Singles Peak Positions. Dubai is divided into 9 sectors: 1-4 & 6 are urban; 7-9 are rural; 8 is Jebel Ali.

CD2 Of 2 (Import Not Released In The UK). Most contracts and tenancy agreements do not stand up to the standards of international law and almost always grossly favour the lessor or the company selling property. Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This CD1 Of 2. Legislation in this area is still sketchy as the property market is a new one and rights of tenants and landowners are based on shaky principles borrowed mainly from European law. Popcorn (Crazy Frog song) CD1 Of 1. This cap demonstrates the realisation that uncontrolled rents can hamper development. CD3 Of 3 (DVD Import - Not Released In UK). Rents have also skyrocketed with the recent inflow of professionals and companies from around the world who are attracted by Dubai's no-tax benefits although rises have been capped to 15% per annum up to 2006 under a directive from Sheikh Mohammad.

CD2 Of 3. In Dubai, demand is currently outstripping supply by a significant margin and is showing no signs of slowing in the near future. Axel F CD1 Of 3. The larger of the property tycoons are Al Nakheel and Emaar Properties. This song sampled the Crazy Frog sound. One of the other reasons for the boom in construction is the recent reversal of a law in 2002 that allows non-nationals of the UAE to own property (not land) in Dubai (albeit freehold and 99 year leases are actually sold to people with ownership still remaining with private companies). It reached number 58 in the UK Singles Chart. Tourism is also being promoted at a staggering rate with the construction of Dubailand and other projects that include the making of mammoth shopping malls, theme parks, resorts, stadiums and other various tourist attractions.

was released in the UK. The Dubai government does not want to depend on its oil reserves which are largely believed to become exhausted by 2010 and, as such, has diversified its economy to attract revenues in the form of expanding commercial and corporate activity. On June 27, 2005, a song called "Ring Ding Ding (Frog)" by L.O.C. One of the main reasons for the boom in construction in Dubai is its drive to diversify the economy. As the name suggests, this CD is about killing the Crazy Frog. This is partly due to the fact that labourers from the Indian subcontinent accept lower wages than those from other countries. Since the song did not appear in the top 250 of the UK Singles Chart, it is unclear whether the single was postponed, or simply failed to sell enough copies. Construction in Dubai and the UAE in general is a much faster process than in any Western country.

On June 20, 2005, a song called "Kill The Frog" by Frog Must Die was released in the UK. In many areas, it is not easy to see Dubai's sky without at least one crane in your view; some say 16% of the world's large construction cranes would stand there. It reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart, two weeks after the Axel F version had charted. Since 2000, Dubai's municipality has initiated a plethora of construction phases and plans across the entire city of Dubai, predominantly in the Mina Seyahi area, located further from Jumeirah, towards Jebel Ali. The track is called "Ring Ding Ding," and was released on 6 June 2005. In addition, Emirates has placed an order of 42 of the new Boeing 777 aircraft in November 2005. Clips of the live action frog can be found here. The A380 aircraft have already been charted to fly from October 2006 onwards.

On March 19, 2005, Pondlife held open auditions to find a live action Crazy Frog to star in their accompanying music video. The airline has placed an order of 45 of Airbus's A-380 'superjumbo' doubledecker aircraft, the largest of which has a capacity of 641 passengers. The people behind this were radio DJs Wes Butters, Trevor Jordan and Daryl Denham along with studio-owner Maurice Cheetham. The idea is to develop Dubai's air transportation ability so that passengers from any city can fly direct to Dubai. On February 17, 2005, a group of producers naming themselves Pondlife announced that the Crazy Frog would be released as a single. Dubai is also investing heavily in developing the reach of its airline, Emirates. It entered the Austrailian chart at #4 on 28 November [10] and in the UK Singles Chart at #5 on 18 December. Seven monorails are also slated to be constructed to help feed the Metro system, connecting various places such as Dubailand, Palm Jumeriah, et al, to the main track.

The Christmas single release for the Crazy Frog is a cover of "Jingle Bells" and also a cover of the MC Hammer single "U Can't Touch This". Dubai is building this train system to ease congestion on its road network and to meet the transportation demands of its growing population. Main article: Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This. Trains are expected to run every 90 seconds when the project is completed. It was released on August 22nd 2005 in the UK, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart. The Dubai Metro will have 70 kilometers of track and 43 stations, 33 above ground and ten underground. It is a remix of Gershon Kingsley original "Popcorn" from 1969 and best known as Hot Butter's hit from 1972. The metro will comprise two lines: the Green Line from Rashidiya to the main city center and the Red Line from the airport to Jebel Ali.

The next official Crazy Frog single, "Popcorn", premiered on Top of the Pops in the UK. Also involved are two other Japanese corporations, Obayashi and Kajima, and a Turkish company, Yapi Merkezi. Main article: Popcorn (Crazy Frog song). The construction contract for the project was given to Dubai Rapid Link (DURL)[11], a consortium lead by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. They also link to a site where you can batter the frog with a baseball bat. The Metro system is expected to be partially operational by 2009 and fully operational by 2012. The Register reports that iTunes has the single with an illustration of an emasculated frog. There is currently a $3.89 billion Dubai Metro project under construction for the emirate.

Blobby and Bob The Builder were included. One of the more traditional methods of getting across Bur Dubai to Deira is through abras, small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai creek, between abra stations in Bastakiya and Bani Yas Road, for a nominal charge of 1 Dh. Both VH1 and TMF have also omitted it from their Number Ones marathons, despite the fact that other chart-topping "annoying" novelty singles such as Mr. Cabs can be found anywhere, any time although difficulties may be experienced during large events. Despite the song's popularity, the music video has received very little airplay in the UK. Taxi drivers will usually try to avert this happening in traffic queues by moving slightly forward every 30 seconds or so. The bounty hunter receives notification of a $50,000 reward for the capture of the Crazy Frog, who is only identified as "The most annoying thing in the world", a reference to Wernquist's original name for the creature. 3, which is approximately 50pence, or 1 USD), and are charged by distance, although if the cab stops for more than 1 minute, 1/2 a Dirham will be added to the meter.

The animation is set in the future and centers on the pursuit of the Crazy Frog by a bounty hunter. Prices are reasonable (the meter begins as Dhs. The Ministry of Sound commissioned Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist, the original creator of the Crazy Frog, to produce a full-length animated music video to accompany the release of "Axel F" and featuring the Crazy Frog character. Some of the private cab companies are Cars Taxi, National Taxi, Cititaxi and Metro Taxi. As of the summer of 2005, the song remained in the Top Ten in many European music charts and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The Dubai Transport Corporation operates cream-colored taxis. An example of this is Robert Mackle's "Crazy Frog vs Coldplay"[9], which parodied the chart drama between the two. There are both government-operated and private cab companies.

This is the official song endorsed by Jamster! and actually samples the original sound; subsequent songs created their own samples of the sound. Dubai also has an extensive taxi system, by far the most frequently used means of public transport within the emirate. The single was released on May 23, 2005 and reached the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart ([8]), outselling the nearest contender, Coldplay, by three or four copies to one. Due to the frequency of such incidents, road networks are blocked and held up quite frequently. A German dance duo named Bass Bumpers made a dance single starring the Crazy Frog, mixed with Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F". Furthermore, Dubai has developed a reputation for having the most number of deaths and road accidents in the developed world clocking in with a statistic of having a minor road accident at least every 3 minutes. Main article: Axel F (Crazy Frog song). Traffic congestion has come about mainly due to lack of foresight on the recent rapid population increase, the relative ease of credit facilities for obtaining a car and the convoluted road networks that are constantly being changed, improved or reconstructed.

In March 2005, anti-virus vendors discovered the W32/Crog.worm computer virus (a contraction of Crazy Frog), which spreads through file-sharing networks and MSN Messenger, exploiting the Crazy Frog's notoriety with a promise of an animation depicting his demise[6][7]. Unfortunately though, the bus network is used extensively by lower income groups and does not do enough to attract higher income earners who would do well to use the bus transport system and ease traffic congestion that has recently become a major problem in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. On 21 September 2005, the ASA ruled that the Crazy Frog, along with other Jamba ringtone advertisements, must be shown after 9pm (pdf) [5]. There are also several discounts and period pass options available. As the authority had already adjudicated on the matter and confirmed the matter was not within its remit, the unusual step was taken of adding a notice to their online and telephone complaints system informing viewers that Jamster!-related complaints should be directed towards the broadcaster or the regulator, Ofcom[3][4]. The government has issued plastic, swipable "e-go" cards. (source: Media Guardian, 20 June 2005). The bus system has 59 unique routes on weekdays and transports over 200,000 people each week.

An estimated 10% of the population saw the advert more than 60 times. Dubai has a fairly large bus system run by the Dubai Municipality. 87% of the population saw the Crazy Frog adverts an average of 26 times, 15% of the adverts appeared twice during the same advertising break and 66% were in consecutive ad breaks. Although initially intended as a predominantly cargo airport, plans are afoot for the new Jebel Ali airport to handle some 120 million passengers per annum within 20 years, the largest capacity in the world, surpassing London's Heathrow's 85 million. According to The Guardian, Jamster bought 73,716 spots across all TV channels in May alone – an average of nearly 2,378 slots daily – at a cost of about £8 million, just under half of which was spent on ITV. A second airport located at Jebel Ali—and a new free trade area within Dubai, marking the centrepiece of the Jebel Ali Airport City—was announced in 2004 and construction began in January 2005. The intensity of the advertising was unprecedented in British television history. When completed this will double the capacity of the airport.

In May 2005, viewers inundated the ASA with new complaints regarding the continuous airing of the latest Crazy Frog advertisements. The new terminal will be dedicated to Emirates airlines and will fully support the Airbus A380. It costs £3 a week to subscribe to Jamster!'s service. A third terminal is currently under construction and due to open in 2006. The complaints were upheld; the full adjudication (PDF) is available online. Dubai airport has won many awards for its excellence in design and services. Viewers felt that it was not made sufficiently clear that they were subscribing to a service, rather than paying a one-time fee for their ringtone. Dubai International Airport is a fortress hub for Emirates airlines and has a large Duty Free shopping centre.

In April 2005, television viewers complained about misleading advertisements produced by Jamba!, trading as Jamster! and RingtoneKing. Dubai is serviced by several commercial ports and Dubai Creek is still used by local traders in Dhows:. complaints dismissed (PDF). The emirate discovered that stamp collectors were willing to give it money for colored labels with "Dubai" printed on them, and by the time the postal system was merged with those of other emirates in mid-1972, it had issued over 400 stamps, few of which ever saw usage on mail. Similar action occurred in Australia, with similar results. This was the opening salvo of a barrage of stamp issues over the next few years. The full adjudication (PDF) is available online. The Dubai Post Department took over the postal service on June 14, 1963 and the following day issued a series of stamps depicting sea life, views of Dubai, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

However, Jamba! voluntarily censored the character's genital area in later broadcasts of its advertisements. Despite the name, these were only on sale in Dubai's post office. The ASA did not uphold the complaints, pointing out that the advert was already classified as inappropriate for airing during children's television programmes as it contained a premium rate telephone number, and furthermore added that it was the broadcasters' decision as to how often an advertisement should be shown. When Pakistan came into existance, the British government set up a postal administration for Eastern Arabia and used overprinted British stamps until January 7, 1961, when Dubai issued its own stamps inscribed "Trucial States". There were also complaints regarding the frequency with which the advertisement appeared on television, reportedly up to twice an hour across most of the day[2], with some channels showing it more than once per commercial break. It used the stamps of India on mail, with postmark "Dubai Persian Gulf", until India's independence in 1947, then stamps of Pakistan until March 31, 1948. Some parents complained that this made inappropriate viewing for children, claiming that the commercial had prompted embarrassing questions. A post office of British India was opened August 19, 1909.

In February 2005, viewers submitted a number of complaints to the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority regarding Jamba!'s advertising campaign, complaining that Crazy Frog appeared to have genitalia. See the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing's list of developments [10] in Dubai for more information. Jamba! also have available "The Crazy Frog is Puking", "Crazy Frog and Its Girlfriend", in which he is apparently making out, and "The Crazy Frog is F**king", in which gasping and smacking skin can be heard. Dubai interests have also purchased large amounts of real estate in foreign countries, in particular snapping up trophy properties in global centers like New York and London; a typical purchase in 2005 was New York's 230 Park Avenue (formerly known as the New York Central Building or the Helmsley Building) and Essex House on Central Park South. These include the sitar-based "Crazy Frog India", reggae-flavoured "Crazy Frog Jamaica" and Jimmy Barnes-esque "Crazy Frog Australian Rock". Iranian expatriates alone are estimated to have invested up to $US 200 Billion in Dubai.[9]. There is also a series of Crazy Frog World Tour tones featuring the Frog performing his usual vocalisations against backgrounds of various countries' musical styles. Immigrants have been pouring capital into Dubai in the past several years, greatly contributing to the city's prosperity.

Jamba! have also produced other successful animated creature ringtones, including Sweety the Chick and Nessie the Dragon, and produced other ringtones featuring the Crazy Frog including Crazy DJ Frog. This project was launched in 2003 and is estimated to be completed by 2006. Jamba! have earned an estimated £14 million from the ringtone ([1]), making it the most commercially successful ringtone of all time. The International Media Production Zone is a project targeted at creating a hub for printers, publishers, media production companies, and related industry segments. It soon became the most recognisable commercially available ringtone in the United Kingdom. The aim of this park is to foster the growth of this sector in Dubai and to utilize the region's talent in addressing this rapidly growing sector. Jamba! (trading under names such as Jamster!, RingtoneKing, and others) accompanied the release of the ringtone with a barrage of advertising. This is a new park to be targeted at Biotech companies working in pharma, medical fields, genetic research and even biodefense.

In 2004, the Germany based Jamba! group (ultimately owned by VeriSign) licensed the animation and sound for distribution as a mobile phone ringtone. Dubai has also launched Dubiotech. The character then disappears into the distance at high speed. It will also contain Al Burj, another one of the tallest buildings in the world. As the imaginary engine starts, the character begins to levitate as exhaust fumes are discharged from his body. Dubai Waterfront will be a mix of canals and islands full of hotels and residential areas that will add 500 miles of man-made waterfront. In the animation, the character imitates the hand movements required to rotate the twistgrip controls of a motorcycle while making the sound of an engine ignition. In February 2005, Dubai Waterfront was announced, it will be 2½ times the size of Washington D.C., the size of the island of Manhattan.

Also present is a set of ambiguous but controversial genitalia. It is expected to be completed in 2008. An upper right front tooth is missing. Emaar Properties is currently constructing what will become the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai. His toes are webbed, and the iris of the left eye is significantly larger than that of the right. The city has modern skyscrapers such as Emirates Towers, which are the 12th and 24th tallest buildings in the world[8], and the Burj al-Arab located on the Persian Gulf and is currently the tallest hotel in the world. The character wears only a white motorcycle helmet with the chinstrap unfastened, a leather jacket, and goggles. Somewhere from 2005 to 2006, most of the freehold skyscrapers and other villa projects will be ready for occupancy.

The title character in The Annoying Thing is an anthropomorphic amphibian that is quite frog-like in appearance. The first villa freehold properties that were occupied by non-UAE nationals were The Meadows, The Springs, and The Lakes (upper-class neighborhoods designed by Emaar Properties, collectively called Emirates Hills). Erik was convinced, and gave due credit to Daniel for his creation. Dubai's land-reclamation projects — the Palm Islands of Jumeira, Jebel Ali, and Deira and The World archipelago — will be the world's largest artificial island complexes, developed with villas, golf courses, and holiday resorts. He contacted Erik, apparently giving an impromptu performance to confirm his claims. Corporate office enclaves on Sheikh Zayed road were developed to shift Dubai's traditional business area from the Dubai creek to the western parts of the city. Eventually, word reached Daniel that his impressions had been used in a now well-known animation. The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based but oil-reliant economy to one that is service- and tourism-oriented has made real estate more valuable, and corporations such as Emaar Properties, and Nakheel have benefited.

The animation was a popular attraction at Erik's website, but the sound was credited to "Anonymous". Despite the relatively early closing time of 3am for these clubs, their trade is brisk. Erik used the LightWave 3D modelling application to produce the animation and posted it on his website. Besides the obvious presence of prostitutes, however, Dubai also has a lively and well-known nightlife, with many state-of-the-art nightclubs and bars being strewed in all areas of the Emirate, mainly joined to hotels (properties not adjoined to hotels are not allowed to serve alcohol). In 2003, Malmedahl's fellow Swede Erik Wernquist encountered the sound effect and was inspired to create the 3D animation "The Annoying Thing" to accompany it. A large population of prostitutes work in Dubai, spurred on by the large amount of tourism [7]. The most notable example was the Insanity test, which required test subjects to keep a straight face while staring at a photograph of Rubens Barrichello in a Ferrari Formula 1 car as the sound effect was played. [6].

The sound effect was quickly included in other Flash animations that spread virally among Internet users. Through subsequent revisions, the master planned development will span over 3 billion square feet (300,000,000 m²) with the 1st phase to be completed in 2008. After Daniel's television debut, recordings of his performance began appearing on peer to peer file sharing networks and various websites under the filename "2TAKTARE.MP3" ("Tvåtaktare" is Swedish for "Two stroker"). Dubailand, an entertainment city vaguely planned off the concept of Disneyland was launched in October 2003. He posted this on a website and caught the attention of a Swedish television researcher, who convinced Daniel to perform the sound live on air. Dubai currently has two waterparks in Wonderland and Wild Wadi with more being planned for Dubailand. In 1997, 17-year-old Swede Daniel Malmedahl recorded himself impersonating the sounds produced by internal combustion engines. The World Cup is world's highest stakes horse race, with over US $15 million worth of prize money handed out.

. Dubai hosts many world class sporting events, including the Dubai Tennis Open, Dubai Desert Golf Classic, and the Dubai World Cup, an annual horse racing event. Negotiations are also underway for a TV series based on the character. Soon to overtake the Mall of Emirates as the world's largest will be the Dubai Mall, part of the Burj Dubai development that will be home to the tallest building in the world when completed. The Crazy Frog has also spawned a range of merchandise and toys which were very popular for Christmas 2005. Two more shopping malls have recently opened, the Mall of Emirates, the third largest mall in the world, which also has the world's third largest indoor ski slope, and the Ibn Battuta Mall. The album Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits and second single "Popcorn" continue to enjoy worldwide chart success. The Oasis Centre caught fire and received major damage on 9 September 2005.

The Crazy Frog spawned a worldwide hit single with a remix of "Axel F", which reached the number one spot in the UK, Australia and most of Europe, although relatively unknown (aside from a few internet pop-up ads, and several commericals) in the United States. The city has many malls such as City Centre, Lamcy Plaza, Al Ghurair City, Mercato Mall, Oasis Centre and Wafi Centre that have international stores, theaters, gaming arcades, and food courts. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba! (known as Jamster! in some markets), the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl while attempting to imitate the sound of a two-stroke moped engine. Other, smaller shopping festivals, such as "Dubai Summer Surprises" are held throughout the year. Crazy Frog is a character used in the marketing of a ring tone based on 'The Annoying Thing', a computer animation created by Erik Wernquist. Attendance at the 2005 Festival topped 3.3 million visitors. Article on negotiations. The annual month-long Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) draws shoppers from the Indian subcontinent and around the world.

Jingle Bells - #4. Some of these universities include the American University in Dubai (AUD),The American College of Dubai, Al Ghurair University, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Middlesex University, Dubai, Dubai Women's College, University of Wollongong in Dubai, and Zayed University. Popcorn - #10. However, a sizable number of foreign accredited universities have been set up in the city over the last ten years. Axel F - #1 (4 Weeks). Many expatriates tend to send their children back to their home country for university education. Jingle Bells (U-Myx Format). There are also some primary and high schools that offer Canadian and Japanese syllabuses.

U Can't Touch This (U-Myx Format). ASD offers an accredited American high school diploma; DAA offers both an American-accredited high school diploma and the International Baccalaureate [IB] diploma. Jingle Bells (Video). The American School of Dubai (ASD), which is located in Jumeirah, and Dubai American Academy (DAA) have been around the longest. U Can't Touch This (Video). A growing number of K-12 schools offer the American syllabus. Jingle Bells (Boucne Mix Instrumental). The International School of Choueifat and Emirates International offer both British and American curricula.

U Can't Touch This (Boucne Mix Instrumental). The Emirates International School, Al Diyafah High School and Cambridge International High School are also secondary schools that offer a combination of GCSE, IGCSE, and IB courses to the expatriate community. Jingle Bells (Bounce Mix). Mary's High School, Dubai College, English College, and Jumeirah College are all British style eleven-to-eighteen secondary schools which offer GCSE and A-Levels. U Can't Touch This (Bounce Mix). St. Jingle Bells (Resevoir Mix). Modern Renaissance School, the Horizon School, Dubai English Speaking School, Jumeirah Primary School, Jumeirah English Speaking School, and Jebel Ali Primary School all offer British style primary education to the age of eleven.

U Can't Touch This (Resevoir Mix). Our Own English High School, Modern High School, and Indian High School offer either a CBSE or an ICSE Indian syllabus. Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This (Medley Mix). Most schools cater to one or more expatriate communities. Jingle Bells (Club Vocal Mix). Some primary schools conduct entrance tests. U Can't Touch This (Video Mix). Annual fees for nursery and pre-school vary greatly.

Last Christmas (Album Exclusive). English is the medium of instruction in most schools in Dubai. Jingle Bells (Radio Mix). Christian churches are permitted to openly advertise certain church functions, such as memorial services, in the press. U Can't Touch This (Album Mix). However, they are permitted to raise money from among their congregants and to receive financial support from abroad. Jingle Bells (U-Myx Format). Apart from donated land for the construction of churches and other religious facilities, including cemeteries, non-Muslim groups are not supported financially or subsidised by the government.

U Can't Touch This (Video). Mary's) would begin at the end of 2005, members of the Eastern Orthodox Christian community in the UAE have had to use churches of other denominations for services, until General Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister, donated a plot of land in Jebel Ali. Jingle Bells (Video). Construction on the first Greek Orthodox Church in Dubai (to be called St. I Like To Move It (Club Mix). In early 2001, ground was broken for the construction of several additional churches on a parcel of land in Jebel Ali donated by the government of Dubai for four Protestant congregations and a Catholic congregation. Jingle Bells (Club Vocal Mix). The government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslims and Polytheist; in practice, interferes very little in the religious activities of non-Muslims.

U Can't Touch This (Video Mix). Non-Muslims in the country are free to practice their religion but may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature. Jingle Bells (Radio Mix). There is an electric crematorium run by a group of Indian expatriates. Popcorn (Video). Both are believed to be sanctioned by the late ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Popcorn (Bounce Mix). The Meena Bazaar area of the city has both a Shiva and Krishna temple.

Popcorn (Resevoir Instrumental Mix). Dubai is the only emirate that has Hindu temples and a Sikh gurudwara. Popcorn (Resevoir Mix). There are foreign minority Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians as well. Popcorn (Radio Mix). A vast majority of the locals are Sunnis. Axel F (Behind The Scenes Of The Video). Islam is the official religion of all of the emirates.

Axel F (Making Of The Video). The official language is Arabic, but English and Urdu are also widely spoken, along with Hindi, Persian, Punjabi, Malayalam, and Tagalog. Axel F (Video). The Federal Government is still formulating laws pertaining to ownership of property and considering issuing residency status to those who own such property. Axel F (Bounce Mix). Ownership of lease does not guarantee any form of legal residency status in the UAE. Axel F (Radio Mix). It is, however, illegal to seek employment on this visa.

Axel F (Video). The "lease" on these freehold properties was first offered for 99 years but was later changed to permanent ownership. Axel F (Resevoir Frogs Mix). There is an increasing number of "freehold" villas and flats on artificial islands such as the Palm Islands. Axel F (Bounce Mix Instrumental). The numerous free trade zones allow for full expatriate ownership. Axel F (Bounce Mix). Nearly all of the commercial establishments are run by expatriates with a silent local partner who merely "rents" the business license for a negotiated annual fee without taking part in any capital investment.

Axel F (Radio Mix). A quarter of the population reportedly trace their origins to neighboring Iran.[5] The UAE government does not allow any form of naturalization or permanent residence to expatriates. Information. The vast majority of these expatriates come from South Asia and the South East Asia. L.O.C. Dubai is unusual in that its population comprises mainly expatriates, with UAE nationals (Emiratis) constituting the minority. Announcing auditions. Dubai Knowledge Village (KV) is an education and training hub is also set up to complement the Free Zone’s other two clusters, Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City, by providing the facilities to train the clusters' future knowledge workers.

Press release. Dubai Internet City, now combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave whose members include IT firms such as EMC Corporation, Oracle, Microsoft, and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, Reuters, ARY and AP. Single website. The government has set up industry-specific free zones throughout the city. Crazy Frog battered in net orgy of violence. Dubai is also diversifying as a hub for service-based industries such as IT and finance, with the new Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). iTunes emasculates Crazy Frog. Today, Dubai is also an important tourist destination, bolstered by its rapidly-expanding airline Emirates, which is headed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, an uncle of the Sheikh.

Press release, including sound clips. Oil reserves in Dubai are less than one-twentieth that of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and hence oil income is a minor contributing factor to the city's prosperity. Single website. The city of Dubai has a free trade in gold and till the 90s was the hub of a "brisk smuggling trade" of gold ingots to India, where gold import was restricted (read the novel Dubai by Robin Moore). The official Crazy Frog Axel F website. Most of the new city's banking and financial centers were headquartered in this area. Dubai and its twin across the Dubai creek, Deira (independent at that time), became important ports of call for Western manufacturers.

Dubai maintained its importance as a trade route through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, Dubai joined the other emirates to adopt a single, uniform currency: the UAE dirham. On 2 December 1971 Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi, and five other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates after Britain left the Persian Gulf in 1971. Oil was discovered 120 kilometres off the coast of Dubai, after which the town granted oil concessions.

After the devaluation of the Gulf Rupee in 1966, Dubai joined the newly independent state of Qatar to set up a new monetary unit, the Qatar/Dubai riyal. Until the 1930s, the town was known for its pearl exports. The town of Dubai was an important port of call for foreign tradesmen (chiefly Indians), who settled in the town. The rulers of Dubai fostered trade and commerce, unlike the town's neighbors.

In March 1892 the Trucial States (or Trucial Oman) were created. Like four of its neighbours, Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain, its position on the route to India made it an important location. Dubai came under the protection of the United Kingdom (keeping out the Ottoman Turks) by the Exclusive Agreement of 1892. In 1835, Dubai and the rest of the Trucial States signed a maritime truce with Britain and a "Perpetual Maritime Truce" about two decades later.

An attempt by the Qawasim pirates to take over Dubai was thwarted. From that point on, Dubai, a newly independent emirate, was constantly at odds with the emirate of Abu Dhabi. In 1833, the Al Maktoum dynasty of the Bani Yas tribe left the settlement of Abu Dhabi and took over the town of Dubai, "without resistance". On 8 Jan 1820 the then sheikh of Dubai was a signatory to the British sponsored "General Treaty of Peace" (the General Maritime Treaty).

Earlier in the 18th century the Al Abu Falasa lineage of Bani Yas clan established itself in Dubai which was a dependent of the settlement of Abu Dhabi until 1833. There are records of the town of Dubai from 1799. . A majority of the emirate's revenues are from the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) [4] and now, increasingly, from tourism.

Dubai is distinct from other members of the UAE in that revenues from oil account for only 6% of its gross domestic product. The town of Hatta is an exclave of the emirate of Dubai and borders Al Wajajah, Oman. The emirate is located on the Persian Gulf, southwest of Sharjah and northeast of Abu Dhabi, and reaches into the interior. Dubai is the second largest emirate in the federation after Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who was earlier the crown prince of Dubai is one of the Sheikh's younger brothers. The new Ruler who is also the Vice-President and the Prime Minister of the UAE is H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who was also the Vice-President of the federation of the United Arab Emirates. The ruler of Dubai was the late H.H.

Dubai or Dubayy (in Arabic: دبيّ, IPA /ðʊ'bɪ/, generally /dʊ'baɪ/ in English) refers to either. Published: December 4, 2005. FATTAH. ^  "Young Iranians Follow Dreams to Dubai." The New York Times, by HASSAN M.

Jebel Ali. Mina' Rashid. 1949). 4 Jan 2006 - Present Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (b.

2006). 1943 - d. 7 Oct 1990 - 4 Jan 2006 Sheikh Maktoum III ibn Rashid Al Maktoum (b. 1990).

1912 - d. Sep 1958 - 7 Oct 1990 Sheikh Rashid II ibn Said Al Maktoum (b. 18 April 1929 - Sep 1958 Sheikh Said II ibn Maktoum (2nd time) (s.a.). 15 April 1929 - 18 April 1929 Sheikh Mani ibn Rashid.

1958). 1878 - d. Nov 1912 - 15 April 1929 Sheikh Said II ibn Maktoum (1st time) (b. 1912).

1851 - d. 16 Feb 1906 - Nov 1912 Sheikh Bati ibn Suhayl (b. 1906). - d.

18. 7 April 1894 - 16 Feb 1906 Sheikh Maktoum II ibn Hushur (b. 1894). 22 Nov 1886 - 7 April 1894 Sheikh Rashid I ibn Maktoum (d.

1886). 1859 - 22 Nov 1886 Sheikh Hushur ibn Maktoum (d. 1859). 1852 - 1859 Sheikh Said I ibn Bati (d.

1852). 9 June 1833 - 1852 Sheikh Maktoum I ibn Bati ibn Suhayl (d. - 9 June 1833 Sheikh `Ubayd ibn Said. ...

that emirate's main city, sometimes called "Dubai City" to distinguish it from the emirate. one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates on the Arabian Peninsula, or.