Zhu Zhiqiang

Zhu Zhiqiang (simplified Chinese: 朱志强; traditional Chinese: 朱志強; pinyin: Zhū Zhìqiáng; born June 8, 1976) is a Chinese graphic designer, animator, writer, producer, and voice actor best known for his Xiao Xiao series of martial art stick figure videos. Zhu lives in Beijing, China, where he is an Internet phenomenon. He makes money from his animations using advertisements for major companies. Each of his designs features the "logo" Xiao Xiao. Zhu began animating stick figure videos in 1989 at the age of thirteen and rapidly gained popularity from 2000 to 2002 for his videos, most notably his Xiao Xiao series which debuted in 2001. In July 2004, Zhiqiang sued Nike, Inc. for unauthorized use of his stickfigure designs in an advertisement; Nike representatives denied the accusations, claiming that the stickman figure lacks originality, and is public domain. The company failed to appeal and was ultimately ordered to pay $36,000 to Zhu.