The mascot of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Bing Dwen Dwen, is unveiled during the launch ceremony at the 2019 Shougang Ice Hockey Arena in Beijing.
Xinyu Cui / Getty Images
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The mascot of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Bing Dwen Dwen, is unveiled during the launch ceremony at the 2019 Shougang Ice Hockey Arena in Beijing.
Xinyu Cui / Getty Images
BEIJING – One of the stars of this year’s Winter Olympic Games is its mascot: a furry panda named Bing Dwen Dwen.
The stuffed animal version became so sought after that people camped out overnight to buy it.
Outside one of Beijing’s largest official Olympic merchandise stores, the line is getting longer and longer – despite the loudspeakers playing the same line over and over: All of Bing Dwen Dwen’s stuffed animals have sold out clean during the day.
Li Zhaoyang has been on the Lunar New Year holiday since high school, and he said that he joined the line one day just to join in all the chatter surrounding Bing Dwen Dwen. . He wanted to collect the panda mascot as an Olympic memorabilia.
One little problem I told him: Bing Dwen Dwen sold out. Even the 500 pandas allotted for pre-sale orders were drawn to the people queuing outside the store the night before.
Even customers are not so lucky. They will only be able to take their orders during the last week of February, after The Olympic Games have ended.
Bing Dwen Dwen, or “ice chubster” as his name is translated, has skyrocketed in popularity suddenly, in part due to scarcity. Soft collectibles factories are limiting production. The shortage has fueled a sort of bewilderment on social media for all things Bing Dwen Dwen.
Outside the Olympics store, Rose Ling and her young daughter also said they were lining up simply to see what all the fuss was about.
Staff members dressed as the mascots of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Bing Dwen Dwen (left) and Shuey Rhon Rhon stand in front of the Main Media Center in Beijing last month.
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Staff members dressed as the mascots of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Bing Dwen Dwen (left) and Shuey Rhon Rhon stand in front of the Main Media Center in Beijing last month.
Lintao Zhang / Getty Images
“This line was huge just a few minutes ago,” she said. “It just wrapped around a corner just minutes ago, so we jumped in only to find out Bing Dwen Dwen was sold out.”
For those who are more open-minded, there are other options. The Beijing Olympic Committee designed a Paralympic mascot named Xue Rongrong, a dancing red lantern that is also available as a cute, stuffed animal.
But no one seemed very excited.
“Xue Rongrong is too ugly,” said Roger Li, who was traveling with his friend to see if they could buy other Olympic-themed sneakers they could buy because Bing Dwen Dwen was beyond purchasing power. their.
Scalpers is selling the swaddle raccoon for up to Rmb2000 (about $300), but then catches himself: “Am I allowed to say that for broadcast? Do you need an answer that is more relevant to China’s socialist values?” he asked NPR.
By the time I entered the Olympic souvenir shop, only a few gold bracelets and pins remained. There is no Bing Dwen Dwen. However, I can apply for a new credit card to enter the lottery for a chance to win one of the coveted bears.
Aowen Cao contributed research from Beijing.
