The chubby panda mascot of the 2022 Winter Games, a little stuffed toy medal winners receive on the podium, is proving to be a success as a number of stores in Beijing are already sold out of the plushies and some are being resold online for hundreds of dollars.
Meet Bing Dwen Dwen. A giant chubby panda dressed in a snowsuit.
Following an event, the winning athletes in Beijing receive a plush toy version of the panda, stuffed inside a plastic shell that is meant to represent ice. The toy is also adorned with a golden wreath.
And the toys seem to be a huge hit for both armchair athletes and the world's best competing in Beijing.
"I always claimed back in the day that my spirit animal is a panda. I love pandas," Canada's Mark McMorris said after claiming bronze in snowboard slopestyle on Monday.
The souvenir version of Bing Dwen Dwen is selling like hot bamboo shoots. Local media reported more than 300 people queued up in front of a store early Sunday with the hope of securing the popular plush toy.
A man holds the Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen doll which he purchased form a store selling 2022 Winter Olympics memorabilia in Beijing, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
The Beijing Olympic organizing committee asked souvenir factories to make more. Many reopened this week after shutting down for two weeks or more during the Lunar New Year holiday.
"We are paying close attention to this problem ... we are coordinating with factories to increase supply of Bing Dwen Dwen," a Beijing Organizing Committee spokesperson told reporters Monday.
On eBay, people are hocking the plush panda for well over $200, while other Bing Dwen Dwen merchandise is being sold for a pretty penny: almost $70 for a keychain and $30 for a pin.
Bing Dwen Dwen plush toy for sale on eBay.
According to the Beijing Organizing Committee. "Bing" has several meanings, though the most common is ice. The word also symbolizes purity and strength, while “Dwen Dwen” means robust and lively, and also represents children.
-with files from the Associated Press
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