(ECNS) -- Bing Dwen Dwen, mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, has become all the rage, as its image of a chubby panda wrapped in a layer of ice appeals to audiences and athletes at home and abroad.
Wearing a full-body transparent shell, with its head surrounded by an "ice ribbon" of five colored rings, the panda cub-shaped mascot resembles an astronaut.
The mascot went viral not only because of its exquisite design and distinctive Chinese characteristics, but also for its cultural connotations and value.
The mascot was designed by a 14-member team led by Cao Xue, a professor from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. The design had stood out from roughly 6,000 entries from 35 countries and regions.
In order to vivify the image of Bing Dwen Dwen, Cao and his team visited Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan for field observation. They found baby pandas' heads and body ratio are different from that of adults, making them cuter. So, they improved the image based on the baby cub.
Consumers lined up for hundreds of meters to buy mascot-themed products outside the flagship store for Olympics merchandise located in Gongmei Building in Wangfujing Street of Beijing on Sunday.
Beijing Winter Olympics organizers will increase product offerings, Zhao Weidong, a spokesman said Sunday in response to the rising popularity of the mascot and a recent stock shortage.
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