Merlin, a two-year-old duck and unofficial mascot of Mexico's World Cup team, met President Claudia Sheinbaum during a June 22 press conference in Mexico City [1]. The president praised Merlin as a symbol of Mexican family values, saying, "Today we brought the family that has Merlin the duck as their pet, because he has been a symbol of the World Cup, a symbol of what Mexican families stand for" [1]. Merlin’s owner Karla Gomez said, "We feel very honored to be here with the president, it is an honour for us to stand before you and for the whole world to see the beautiful side of Mexico" [1]. Merlin enjoys walks in protective shoes and Sunday carnitas pork tacos [1].
Merlin gained fame on June 11, when he appeared in street celebrations after Mexico's 2-0 victory over South Africa in the World Cup opener [1]. Since then, Mexicans have dressed various pets—including dogs, hamsters, horses, and Merlin himself—in national team colors, fueling a pet jersey craze across the country [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Diana Montes said, "The most popular trend right now is the entire family dressed in the same outfit" [2]. Aida Cruz added about Merlin, "She's part of the family" [2].
Pet soccer jerseys from knock-off brands like "Adidog" sell for about $5 each in Mexico City markets, with vendors overwhelmed by demand. Efrain Miranda, a streetside seller, said, "There was huge demand," selling up to 30 pet jerseys a day before running out of stock [2, 3, 4, 7]. Official Adidas Mexico national team jerseys, by comparison, cost $100 for the replica version and $150 for the authentic player variant [2, 3, 4, 5, 7]. Given Mexico’s general daily minimum wage is just over 315 pesos ($18-$23), official jerseys can cost nearly a week's wages [2, 3, 4, 5, 7].
Adidas confirmed the Mexico jersey is its best-selling globally and recently launched a limited pet jersey line for cats and dogs [2, 3, 4, 5, 7]. The company stated, "We work closely with the relevant authorities in actions to combat the counterfeit trade and to protect consumers from counterfeiters. Adidas rigorously protects and enforces its intellectual property rights" [2].
Merlin's owner Karla Gomez plans to register Merlin as a trademark to support their family [1]. The pet jersey craze was widely reported on June 23, highlighting the counterfeit jersey market in Mexico City [2, 3, 4, 5, 7].
