Little green traffic light man
Around the world, wherever there are traffic lights, electronic signs often show a stationary man in red (”don’t walk”) or a stationary man in green (”okay to walk across the street now”), with another part of the countdown sign showing how many seconds are left before the signals change again.
A civil engineer in Taiwan has created the first-ever moving green man, who actually moves and energetically “walks” in place while the signal is green, and this traffic light image has become a popular icon in Taiwan and overseas.
The image here shows him in still photo, without the actual movements displayed. If I can find a video clip of his movements, I will post the image later in the comments section below.
However, a controversy has arisen: the designer Chang Ming-shun wants the Taipei city government to recognize him as the green figure’s inventor, but so far no luck.
“Taiwan’s new-generation pedestrian traffic lights are inhabited by little green men. In place of the old lights, whose exact timing could never be predicted, major intersections now feature a twin-module light that lets you know how much time you have to make it across the road. While the upper module’s yellow diode array counts down the seconds, a stick figure animated with flashing green diodes in the lower module walks faster and faster and breaks into a trot in the last seconds.
When the countdown reaches zero, the little green man disappears and a stationary red-diode stick figure takes the place of the flashing amber numbers above.
Making animated traffic lights is not a new idea. Countdown lights have been appearing around the world, from Tokyo to Trenton, for the past 15 years. It was Taipei’s own designers, however, who came up with the inspiration of combining the flashing amber digits with a walking green man and standing red one, and who were the first to act on it.”
Is this true? Taiwan was the first country in the world to design and set up a moving green stick man? Or did some other country beat them to the punch?
November 25th, 2005 at 9:10 pmif anyone can find an animation of the little green man walking, please post the link. i looked and looked, to no avail so far. there MUST be a link to the moving image, somewhere…….?
November 25th, 2005 at 9:49 pmAnimated “walk-don’t-walk” man on Taiwan’s traffic lights
The little “walk-don’t-walk” man on Taiwan’s traffic lights appears in a grid of green LEDS. As the countdown timer ticks down to zero, the little man “walks faster and faster and breaks into a trot in the last seconds.” Link…
November 26th, 2005 at 3:23 amI took this video clip in June 2004. It’s on my personal web server behind an ADSL connection, so I’d appreciate if you could mirror it somewhere. http://keski-rahkonen.com/taipeigreenman.avi
November 26th, 2005 at 4:09 amAntti’s link has been Coral cached: keski-rahkonen.com.nyud.net:8090/taipeigreenman.avi
November 26th, 2005 at 4:44 amIs this true? Taiwan was the first country in the world to design and set up a moving green stick man? Or did some other country beat them to the punch?
I’m not sure whether they’d be first. Mexico City has those animated little green men running in the pedestrian spotlights of Ave. Reforma since sometime in late 2004.
November 26th, 2005 at 4:53 amI was on holiday in Kuala Lumpur in 2002 and they had that system of countdown and animated fugure. The man would walk at a normal pace and when the count started at 10 he would walk faster, I don’t think we speeds up as the count goes down, he just runs during the counting cycle compared to walking.
On the same intersections they had large countdown indicators for the vehicle trafic. The countdown would start at ten, and at about 5-4 the light would change to amber and finally on 0 they would change to red. This was to stop cars (particularlu taxis) from trying to beat the amber signal.
November 26th, 2005 at 5:00 amActually those lights have been around in Taipei for at least 5 years.
November 26th, 2005 at 5:33 amI went to Taiwan in 2001 and I remember seeing them, it was pretty cool.
November 26th, 2005 at 7:23 amI have a video of the exact same traffic light that I took in Granada in Spain this summer. It’s fab!
The only problem with it is that it makes you want to stand in the middle of the street with a camera and watch the light turn to red… risky.
Si
November 26th, 2005 at 8:35 amI thought those lights were pretty cool when I visited Taipei back in February 2005 and I took this video — hopefully someone can mirror this as well: http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1OKHOEOKWCS1T0P9YEFMX2JWMX
November 26th, 2005 at 10:11 amA day of running across roads
Pacing myself with the green-signal-men
Maneuvering through seas of darkness
I see light underwater
Faces that show I am one and whole
Analysis of poem:
The green-signal-men have become extremely popular with Taipei citizens as they cross roads. They are not your ordinary pedestrian signals with 1950’s appearances – light on showing green man, flashing green man and red man. These newly put in pedestrian crossings actually show these men walking. As the seconds’ panel above the man counts down, the closer to zero the faster the little green man walks. Eventually he begins to run and flash (as in on and off rather than going naked). Once the seconds’ panel shows zero, the nice green man disappears and is replaced by an authoritative front-on red man.
November 26th, 2005 at 1:39 pmFirst few days in Taiwan
….then we walked around looking at the shops. Animated “little green man” at the traffic lights, he starts running as the clock timer reaches 10 seconds and below. Looks so cute in his little hat!
November 26th, 2005 at 1:42 pmPhoto Album: School Days
is the Taiwaneese equivelant of a pelican crossing. When it is time to cross a little green man appears (very familiar territorry). Here however, the man is animated and walks under a counter indicating how… still alive after a week and a half in Taiwan, the drivers here are nut cases. But then the problem
Posted 173 days ago in Magic Potato Land 0 links Search this blog
Pedestrians beware!
it is time to cross a little green man appears (very familiar territorry). Here however, the man… I swear that I have no idea how the hell I’m still alive after a week and a half in Taiwan, the drivers here are nut cases. But then the problem is systematic of a culture which so vibrantly
Posted 173 days ago in Magic Potato Land 0 links Search this blog
The Frozen Little Green Man
IMG This is the traffic light in Taiwan. The little green man should start to walk when the green light is on and there is a timing count down while he is walking. The green man would start to run in the last 15 seconds. This traffic light was out of order so the little green stood still there.
Posted 177 days ago in Mr. Tambourine Man 0 links Search this blog
I LOVE Taiwan!~!~!~!
the little green man change from walking to running mode. Their transportation system is really advanced… scenery, I have a soft spot for Taiwan. I liked it so much that I wished I could stay on for awhile… that there are many of them in taiwan. Then there are the amazing things that S’pore does not have…. MOUNTAINS
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the little green man at the lights? well they have the amount of seconds on top of the green man telling you how much time you got. And when it gets to 10 seconds the little green man walking (yes its…Ahh Back from Taiwan. What a blast!!! Conference was EXCELLENT!!!! people were GREAT!!!! so many
Posted 282 days ago in Come follow me and I will make… 3 links Search this blog
Hong Kong
even wait for the little green man before crossing the road!! Am now well settled into Taiwan, having
Posted 292 days ago in Bernie’s Big Trip GetJealous… 0 links Search this blog
November 26th, 2005 at 1:45 pm2004華視英語1105
of a car or scooter suddenly rushing at them out of nowhere. Since the little green man started… in the reverse in Taichung. Previously, at a red light, the little red man would be stationary while… it will be until the light turns green. Pedestrians can focus their attention elsewhere instead
They have those in Kuala Lumpur too.
November 26th, 2005 at 2:27 pmWe have some of those in Bilbao (Spain).
November 27th, 2005 at 12:18 amI took this vid when I was in Taiwan…
November 27th, 2005 at 4:11 amIts a close-up that is right side up!
http://media.putfile.com/Walking-Man24
November 27th, 2005 at 4:12 am[...] ttle man “walks faster and faster and breaks into a trot in the last seconds.” Link (Via Boing Boing).
[...]
November 27th, 2005 at 7:39 am紅綠燈小人兒走出國
台灣的（行人專用）紅綠燈，在 國外網站 Japundit 被討論。有意參與討論的人可以去喔。
November 27th, 2005 at 10:44 am[...] , 2005 偶然間看到這篇 - 外國人看台灣的行人號誌燈：Japundit » Little green traffic light man 早已覺得習以為常的事情，在他人眼裡竟 [...]
November 28th, 2005 at 12:19 amSo it looks like Taiwan was not first, East Germany was there first:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampelm%C3%A4nnchen
Ampelmännchen (a German word meaning little men on the traffic signal) are the little men that are commonly shown on pedestrian traffic lights at crossings in Germany. The red Ampelmann extends his arms to signal “stop,” and the green Ampelmann confidently strides ahead to signal “go.”
The shapes of the Ampelmännchen are standardised, and indeed are fairly similar to those used in other countries. However, because they predate reunification there are two different forms used in Germany, with those originating in the former East Germany being particularly distinctive.
Tourist souvenirs featuring the East Berlin traffic lightsIn the Communist East, the Ampelmännchen became a character on an East German television program used in drivers’ education. The East German man arguably has a bit more character and gusto.
There have been attempts to standardise all traffic signals with the West German forms, leading to calls to save the East German Ampelmännchen. Thus, it has become a kind of mascot for the East German nostalgia movement, known as Ostalgie. As of January 2005, an attempt has even been made to replace some of the traffic lights in Western districts of Berlin with the Ampelmännchen from the east. Nostalgia apart, some have argued that it may be more easily recognised.
[edit]
History
The AmpelfrauThe East-Ampelmann was created in Berlin in 1961 by Karl Peglau. He theorised that people would respond better to the traffic signals if they were presented by a friendly character, instead of meaningless coloured lights. The confident stride is reminiscent of typical communist imagery of the enthusiastic worker advancing to a utopian socialist future. However, Peglau is said to have feared initially that the design might be rejected because of its “bourgeois” hat.
As of November 2004, the traffic signals have achieved gender equality; in Zwickau the first traffic light lady, or Ampelfrau, was created.
November 28th, 2005 at 1:06 pmWe have those signs too in Chihuahua, Mexico.
November 29th, 2005 at 6:45 amWe have some of these in Brunei, too.
December 4th, 2005 at 8:47 pmThe stand-out feature of the traffic lights that the post mentioned are that they are animated… the East German traffic lights aren’t so.
December 4th, 2005 at 8:52 pmhttp://www.pfizerch.com/product.aspx?id=267
In Taiwan, a new TV commerical for Gelusil Plus, a health tonic from Pfizer,uses these traffic lights LITTLE GREEN MAN as part of the humor. If I can find the commercial online, I will post a link here.It is the first time that a product has used the LITTLE GREEn MAN, animated,and the LITTLE RED MAN too, as part of the ad’s humour.
Not everyone has rushed onto the innovative advertising bandwagon. Some continue to stick by the good old methods because they work for them. When asked about the limited advertising tools utilised for Gelusil, Hiroo Mirchandani, Director, Consumer Health Products Division, Pfizer, replied, “Important decision-making criteria for such activities are return on investment in terms of reach, awareness generation and relevance building.”
December 4th, 2005 at 10:29 pmhttp://www.pfizer.com.tw/index.asp
if anyone can find a file of the Gelusil Plus, TV ad, using the LITTLE GREEN MAN,please post here. Cute!
December 4th, 2005 at 10:33 pmSome video clips about the Taiwan’s little green man that I found in YouTube.com , FYI:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=392BpLzgSQQ
A interesting signal in Taipei, Taiwan
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iJa1QPFRfM
Signal for the pedestrian of Taipei (Taiwan)
Meanwhile, this inventive project was initiated by the Taipei city government (Taiwan) in collaboration with some of Taiwan’s IT-technology companies early in 1998. And the official installation and launch date of the green man crossroad signals was on 18th March 1999 in Taipei Taiwan.
The reason why it’s so prevailing worldwide can be attributed to two main causes though. One thing is that it’s really interesting animation on the road and may help to ease the anxiety of the pedestrians by means of the countdown. The other thing is that the Taipei government didn’t manage to register such gimmick as patent protected materials because it’s initially kind of a team work in which many creative Information-Technology were involved! Hence, cities worldwide can have it easily.
You may also refer to the Wikipedia for more details if you can read Mandarin in Traditional Chinese language, at:
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B0%8F%E7%B6%A0%E4%BA%BA
According to the wikipedia webpage above, the first ever STATIC/stick red and green man (not a moving animation with digital countdown, though) was found in East Berlin in 1961, which also is named as “Ampelmännchen” in German. FYI, too.
Cheers,
June 2nd, 2007 at 7:33 pm