U75 teacher turns eggshells into World Cup 2026 mascots

In a small room in an apartment on Thong Nhat Street, Thong Tay Hoi Ward (Ho Chi Minh City), filled with images of World Cup mascots, 75-year-old teacher Nguyen Thanh Tam, with his tanned skin and calm voice, is turning discarded eggshells into lively, quirky, and colorful characters.

For over 20 years, with skillful hands and persistent patience, teacher Nguyen Thanh Tam has created countless collections of models and characters made from eggshells, from Santa Claus to the 12 zodiac animals. Especially for the 2026 World Cup, he personally crafted three mascots representing the three co-host nations along with 48 national flags of the participating teams. The unique point is that all are made from pieces of eggshell.

"I started my eggshell art in 2002. At that time, I was teaching English to an 8th-grade student. In a lesson about Santa Claus, I wanted a more vivid illustrative model for teaching. So, I tried making a Santa Claus figure from eggshells to illustrate the lesson, helping the kids become more interested in learning English vocabulary," Mr. Tam recalled.

In 2010, while watching the World Cup, Mr. Tam came up with the idea of recreating the tournament's mascot using eggshells, and he started working on it. To date, he has created mascot models for five consecutive World Cups.

"Each mascot I shape takes about 10 hours. However, due to my age, I only work about 2-3 hours a day, so it takes nearly a week to complete one piece," Mr. Tam said.

To bring the 2026 World Cup mascots to life, Mr. Tam used various materials. The heads are made from chicken eggshells, the bodies from quail eggshells combined with clay for shaping, and the legs are crafted from recycled plastic straws.

Along with the mascots, he also created a collection of national flags for the 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup. According to Mr. Tam, flags with simple designs take about 5-15 minutes to complete, while those with complex patterns require 30 minutes or more, not including the time to prepare materials.

Mr. Tam believes that young people who want to pursue eggshell art should start by making national flags. "If you do well with flags, you will later find it easier to approach more complex figures. Flags help train accuracy, color coordination, and patience," he shared.

According to Mr. Tam, the biggest difficulty in the creative process is not assembling the eggshell pieces but finishing the work. "At first, I was very hesitant, not knowing how to decorate the piece to make it beautiful, eye-catching, and appealing. After many years of shaping, I still find the mascot's eyes the hardest—I need to make them lively and sparkling so the character feels alive, while the colors must be harmonious and striking," Mr. Tam said.

To ensure the longevity of his works, Mr. Tam pays special attention to material processing. According to him, after cleaning, the eggshells must be thoroughly dried to prevent mold. If the materials are handled properly, eggshell artworks can be preserved for many years while retaining their original colors and shapes.

For Mr. Tam, each piece carries its own story and message. Creating the mascot set and the 48 national flags for the World Cup stems from his love for football and his desire to introduce this unique art form to friends around the world.

"I want to challenge myself and elevate eggshell art by making World Cup mascots. This time, I also made the flags of the 48 participating countries as a visual lesson so that people, especially young people, can learn more about the world through my works," Mr. Tam expressed.

Mr. Tam's greatest hope now is that more people will learn about eggshell art, so that materials once considered waste can become valuable aesthetic works. "I bring this small room to the world, and I invite the world into this small room," Mr. Tam said with a smile.

As a longtime football enthusiast, Mr. Tam also follows the remarkable development of Vietnamese football. "I hope that one day the Vietnam national football team will take part in the World Cup, giving the red flag with a yellow star a chance to fly at the biggest football event on the planet," Mr. Tam expressed with anticipation.