Carter Wong is hopping mad

Carter Wong’s wind-up frog, a spin-off from the group’s concept designed for the 1995 British Telecom Swimathon, has graced designers’ baths for a year now.

And the consultancy was set to kick off this year’s event with a development of this riveting chap when it lost out in a paid pitch to a marketing company chosen by London Events Agency.

Ah well, happens all the time. But this year’s frog (above right) appears to have done a dive.

A DW vox pop conducted in the women’s changing rooms of a South London pool reveals that the punters are not enamoured of this year’s frog – or is it toad?

“Oh no, I don’t like that, it’s creepy,” said a swimmer.

“I’m going to do the Swimathon as I did it last year, but that animal doesn’t encourage me, it’s not as cute as last year’s,” said another.

Carter Wong director Phil Carter, of course, prefers his creation (above left). “We don’t mind losing out to a better job, but this is really dire,” he says.