“Lively, fun, and witty,” the chubby mascot has become a star of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

On Monday, people held Bing Dwen Dwen dolls purchased from a licensed store on Beijing’s Wangfujing Street. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

 

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen—a chubby panda clad in an icy shell—has become a breakout star of the Games, winning the hearts of athletes, politicians, media, and sports fans around the world.

 

Bing Dwen Dwen plush toys have become so popular that President Xi Jinping presented a pair of the mascots as a gift to Prince Albert II of Monaco.

 

According to China Central Television, on Saturday, the prince received an Ice Emperor Wen statue at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and asked whether he could have another one, as he has a twin.

 

Xi Jinping stated that Prince Albert II should not only bring these mascots back to his own children, but also hope that they “develop an interest in winter sports and become winter-sports masters like you.”

 

In the Olympic Village, athletes and staff have been eagerly sharing photos and videos with Bing Dengwen, while also snapping up plush toys and souvenirs.

 

Liu Hao, an employee at the souvenir shop of the Zhangjiakou Mountain Media Center in Hebei Province, said, “Every time we restock, everything sells out within half an hour—demand far exceeds supply.” A reporter covering the Olympic Games.

 

On Saturday, Huang Jingran, a staff member at Zhangjiakou’s Genting Snow Park, waited 45 minutes for the resort’s official game store to open so he could buy a plush toy.

 

She said, “I thought I could buy it later, but I never expected it to be so popular, so I lined up before the store even opened, hoping to get my hands on one once they restocked.”

 

Cute pandas have also won the hearts of Olympic athletes. The Brazilian team posted a photo on Twitter showing two athletes hugging Bing Dwen Dwen pillows in their room. Brazilian freestyle skier Sabrina Cass and Dutch skeleton racer Kimberley Bos both shared on social media photos of themselves posing with Bing Dwen Dwen plush toys at the Games Village.

 

In a video blog, Czech ice dancer Natalie Taschlerova wished her followers good night while cuddling a Bing Dwen Dwen pillow, accompanied by the caption: “My first night with my panda.”

 

A Japanese video report showed that journalist Gido Tsujioka had six Bing Dwen Dwen badges clipped to his news lanyard, earning him the nickname “Gido Dwen Dwen.”

 

Christophe Dubi, the IOC’s Executive Director of the Olympic Games, said that Bing Dwen Dwen is a lively, fun, and witty mascot “brimming with positive energy.” “Bing Dwen Dwen must become part of my collection and bring joy to children around the world,” he added.

 

Public popularity

 

Outside the Olympic athletes’ and officials’ closed loop, mascot merchandise such as keychains and plush toys is sold out at both official authorized online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores.

 

Fu Yuchen, 27, from Chengdu in Sichuan Province, said she tried to buy Bing Dwen Dwen merchandise from the official online retailer but it was already too late. She added that one reseller was selling a set of Bing Dwen Dwen blind boxes for over 2,000 yuan ($315), nearly three times the official price of around 700 yuan.

 

According to reports, on Saturday people still waited for a long time outside the Beijing Olympic flagship store. One customer said that although the store was scheduled to open at 9:30 a.m., by 7:50 a.m. more than 280 customers were already lined up outside.

 

Bing Dwen Dwen has also made it onto Sina Weibo’s trending topics. As of Monday, the “Bing Dwen Dwen” hashtag had amassed over 2.5 billion views and 700,000 comments. Other popular topics include “Bing Dwen Dwen emoji,” “the most beloved Bing Dwen Dwen of the Winter Olympics,” “how adorable is Bing Dwen Dwen,” and “how to get your own Bing Dwen Dwen.”

 

At a press conference on Sunday, Zhao Weidong, spokesperson for the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, stated that the shortage of ice sugar was partly due to a slowdown in production during the Spring Festival, coupled with a sudden surge in demand.

 

He said, “We are coordinating with the relevant authorities to increase the supply of immunoglobulin.” He added that this also underscores the high level of attention being given to the Beijing Winter Olympics.

 

Bing Dwen Dwen was named the official Olympic mascot in September 2019, selected from among 6,000 candidates.

 

Chief designer Cao Xue said the inspiration came from a traditional Beijing snack—tanghulu, or candied hawthorns. To make the panda appear even more adorable, the design team drew on the image of a panda cub.

 

Li Yi, 28, from Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, said that Bing Dwen Dwen’s design perfectly aligns with young people’s aesthetic preferences. “It looks cute, soft, and silky—slightly clumsy, too. It combines the sweetness of candied hawthorns with the cuteness of a giant panda—who wouldn’t want one?” she added.

 

 

(From ChinaDaily)