Giraffe About Town: Meet Hoops at the foot of the Grassmarket

Edinburgh Zoo’s Giraffe About Town project, which sees a herd of 42 charming giraffe sculptures spread across the capital, continues to bring joy and colour to Edinburgh’s streets.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

The unique art trail is a partnership between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and Wild in Art and aims to raise much needed funds for wildlife conservation.

The project will run until August 29 before culminating in a farewell weekend in September where the delightful giraffes will be auctioned off at Edinburgh Zoo.

Hoops is proudly sponsored by the People's Postcode Lottery.

For the next month we will introduce you these impressive creatures, their story and where you can spot them.

Today we feature Hoops, which can be found in the Grassmarket.

This striking, vibrant sculpture brings delight to all who visit it, standing stall in one of city’s most popular tourist spots.

The design of Hoops takes an abstract, contemporary twist on a giraffe’s spotted pattern, using bold, eye-catching colours for maximum impact.

The design of Hoops takes a contemporary twist on a giraffe’s spotted pattern, using eye-catching colours for maximum impact.

Hoops was designed by Flock Creative, the Edinburgh-based advertising agency behind the Giraffe About Town marketing campaign, who used Hoops’ cheeky face as the logo for the posters around the city.

This charming sculpture was brought to life by Suzanne Scott aka WhimSicAL LusH, who painted this beautiful artwork at Edinburgh Zoo.

Suzanne is a Dundee-based artist who is “a country kid at heart”, finding inspiration for her artwork from the nature around her. She loves to use bright colours to create unique and quirky illustrations that feature on prints and a range of accessories including stationery and homeware.

Suzanne Scott is a Dundee-based artist who works under the name WhimSicAL LusH

Suzanne has worked on arts trails in the past, serving as art director, as well as an artist, for Maggie’s Penguin Parade in 2018 and Oor Wullie's BIG Bucket Trail in 2019.

Hoops is proudly sponsored by the People’s Postcode Lottery, an organisation that has raised over £900 million for more than 9,000 charities and good causes across Britain and beyond since 2005.

You can download the Giraffe About Town App to help you explore the trail and also be in with a chance to win prizes.

The app costs 89p with proceeds going to the RZSS.