Everyone with a special connection to the fair was called upon to submit ideas, with the playful feline character now called Meeps by popular vote.

Meeps

For the first time in its 40-year history, Spiel Essen has a mascot – and this mascot now has a name: Meeps. The Spielwarenmesse eG subsidiary says it is grateful to the 1,000 game fans who voted overwhelmingly in favour of this choice, after the feline character designed by Michael Menzel, one of the best-known illustrators in the board game world, was unveiled last month.

Spiel fans from all over the world took part in the search for a name. Of the more than 400 suggestions, five were ultimately put to a vote, with Meeps coming out the resounding favourite.

“The community chose the name and we think it’s very fitting”, explained Carol Rapp, managing director of Merz Verlag. “Meeps is inspired by ‘meeple’, a familiar term to those who like to play board games, and also alludes to the noise an animal might make – plus it just sounds cute.”

The kitten is now a Spiel Essen ambassador, and will help build the buzz for visitors to the world’s largest board game fair on their way to the venue and at the event.