As sure as the arrival of the crippling mid-summer heat, this Eid the Dubai World Trade Centre opens its doors to Modhesh World for the 18th time. Alongside the six halls of family-based attractions and activities something else you can count on with every coming incarnation of Modhesh World is the ever-presence of Modhesh himself.
Inextricable from Dubai Summer Surprises’ (DSS) 20-year history, Modhesh, is sort of become the unofficial mascot for summertime in the Emirates. Although with the recent influx of massive theme parks to the UAE, our colourful little friend has faced an uphill battle over the last few years in order to stay relevant.
The likes of IMG World of Adventures and Dubai Parks may be the new kids on the block, so to speak, but the block still very much belongs to the buoyant, worryingly jaundiced, worm-like creature whose name roughly translates as “excited”.
Until DSS closes its doors on August 12, images of Modhesh will be plastered across the Dubai World Trade Centre, turning the 23,000sqm halls into his personal kingdom – where fun is compulsory, smiles are the currency, and Modhesh rules with an iron fist.
Loathe him or love him, there’s no denying that the little yellow and blue fella is a staple of summer time in the UAE and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. In spite of his omnipresence, the lingering question still remains: who (or what) precisely is Modhesh?
Although his exact origins remain somewhat of a mystery, sources close to Modhesh state that it has no gender. As a result, every time we have erroneously referred to Modhesh as a “he” throughout this article we have, in fact, been contributing to the overwhelming ignorance surrounding the yellow one’s perceived masculinity. We are ashamed of ourselves, and if you’ve also been assuming that Modhesh was a male this entire time, then you should be as well.
In reality, Modhesh is neither a male nor a female. No, Modhesh is not a pansexual entity, but rather a mere children’s toy. A jack-in-the-box, to be exact. Hence the “surprise” he’s been putting into Dubai Summer Surprises all these years and hence his strange accordion bodily structure.
What you choose to do with this knowledge is completely up to you; however, if you desire to meet the…thing…itself, tickets to Modhesh World will cost Dhs20 and are available at the venue with doors opening from 10am to 10pm, every Saturday to Wednesday.
