Olympics
Panda-mic: Beijing Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen is hot on demand
Skyrocketing in popularity, the Beijing Winter Olympics official mascot - a cute, cuddly panda on roller skates - Bing Dwen Dwen has roused a panda-mic in China.
An Olympic Panda-mic: Beijing Winter Games mascot Bing Dwen Dwen is hot on demand (Source: Getty)
The panda craze in China has reached a new stage of obsession with Bing Dwen Dwen, the official mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympics being hot on demand. Right from people making beelines in the chilling temperatures to being visibly upset with China not being able to keep up with the demands of the adorable panda mascot as a souvenir - the emotions among Chinese fans, not allowed to attend the Winter Olympics, is a marvel in itself.
But what is it about Bing Dwen Dwen - a cuddly panda on roller skates, you ask?
Well, it is safe to say that Bing Dwen Dwen has been able to rouse quite the panda-mic with the souvenirs selling like hotcakes and Chinese makers literally sweating to meet the demands for this melt-your-heart mascot.
Designed by a 14-member team from the School of Visual Arts and Design of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and led by Cao Xue, Bing Dwen Dwen is not your ordinary panda. Rather, Dwen is a panda with a high sense of science and technology. It draws attention with its full-body "shell" made out of ice, which kind of resembles a space suit as well, giving the mascot a futuristic direction as well. Can a panda mascot be any cooler?
Isabelle Weidemann of Team Canada with Bing Dwen Dwen (Source: CFP)
The Chinese New Year has also begun from 1st February and with the Beijing Winter Olympics also on at the same time, the two frenzies have collided and fixated on Bing Dwen Dwen it seems. With the panda being the national treasure of China as it is, the love for this mascot is all the more special but the demand for it was unpredicted, as it is outstripping the Chinese manufacturers of the cute souvenir that is making everyone globally mouth a unanimous 'aww'.
Despite the Lunar Year holiday season, factories will have to make more of Bing Dwen Dwen it seems given the surge in demand. A hashtag calling for "One Dwen per household" generated 210 million views on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform on Sunday as well. No mascot in recent history has enjoyed as much popularity as Bing Dwen Dwen - who is making this pandemic Winter Games a very pleasant panda-mic affair instead.
