Air New Zealand mascot Rico killed off in Cludeo competition

Suspects accused of killing the furry mascot, who died while hosting a celeb-packed house-warming party in his Los Angeles mansion, are: rapper Snoop Dogg; Hugh Hefner’s ex, Holly Madison; All Black New Zealand rugby player Ma’a Nonu; E! News presenter Guliana Rancic; 80’s icon Richard Simmons; and New Zealand TV and radio presenter Paul Henry.

Jodi Williams, Air New Zealand’s head of international marketing, said: “Rico’s core purpose over the past year has been to draw global attention to our revolutionary new economy Skycouch and premium economy Spaceseat. As a small airline at the bottom of the world we haven’t had the budgets to take a traditional marketing approach to gain awareness of these award-winning product innovations. Thanks to Rico they have had fantastic exposure in our core international markets and beyond.

“Rico’s risqué approach and online videos resulted in his quick rise to fame over the past year, with more than 4.5 million people watching his videos on YouTube and the Chinese equivalent Yoku, plus hundreds of millions more learning about him through the global media coverage he’s garnered in the likes of the New York Times, Mail Online, Huffington Post, the Examiner, Forbes.com, E! News, OK!, Life and Style, Star, Perez Hilton, and US celebrity news website TMZ.”

The person who helps Air New Zealand correctly identify who had a hand in Rico’s demise will be rewarded return airfares for two to Los Angeles, five nights' accommodation at a four star hotel and passes to Universal Studios and Disneyland. If the winner comes from Los Angeles, they will win a similar trip but to New Zealand including accommodation and tours.