Soon, adults did, too. The comic strip (and the character of McMug) moved to the main pages of magazine Ming Pao Weekly. Mak and Tse decided McMug needed a friend: enter McDull, his clumsy cousin. ‘McDull has a unique personality,’ says Mak. ‘He’s dumb, he’s earnest and he’s foolishly strong-willed. Readers have their own favourite characters, but I’ve been moved by this foolish character from the start.’ And why pigs? ‘It was one of the animals I knew how to draw!’

McDull officially became the head of the family in 2001 as the star of My Life as McDull, his first feature film. Over the course of the series, McDull has been turned into a martial artist, the lead singer of a children’s chorus and a detective. In his latest film, McDull, Rise of the Rice Cooker, he invents a rice cooker robot that defeats a monster from outer space – not a plotline you’re likely to encounter in Hollywood.

Over the years, McDull has become a de facto ambassador of the Hong Kong animation industry – and the city as a whole, as the face of the city’s public service announcements. ‘He provides encouragement for Hong Kongers,’ says Mak. ‘We are surrounded by the same problems as McDull. He shows that you don’t have to be super intelligent or come from a good background to succeed. Even if you’re flawed, you can still lead a happy life, come up with great ideas and have a mother who loves you.’

Hero image credit: Until Chan