The Year of the Dragon version of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen Photo: VCG

As February 4, 2024 marked the second anniversary of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Bing Dwen Dwen, one of the mascots of the game, was still winning consumers' hearts with its new dragon costume edition, igniting a spending spree for related products ahead of the Spring Festival holidays. 

Experts said the adorable design with Chinese traditional characteristics made the mascot a long-term cultural icon. The success of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games amplified Bing Dwen Dwen's commercial value and extended its longevity as a consumer product. 

The Global Times observed on Sunday that the newly launched Bing Dwen Dwen products were still in high demand, as the exhibition counter was crowded by consumers waiting to check out. To celebrate the coming Year of the Dragon, special Bing Dwen Dwen stuffed toys in a dragon costume, along with key rings and mystery boxes, debuted at a licensed flagship merchandise store on Wangfujing Pedestrian Street in downtown Beijing in December 2023. 

A staff member of the store said that the previous purchase limit in December had been lifted, while each consumer could only buy one stuffed toy, a mystery box and two key rings at the time of the debut due to high demand.

"I bought an original Bing Dwen Dwen stuffed toy during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games because I liked it so much, so I bought a new one today to celebrate the new year," a middle school student surnamed Wu told the Global Times on Sunday at the flagship store. 

When asked why Bing Dwen Dwen could still attract consumers as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games ended about two years ago, a tourist from East China's Zhejiang Province surnamed Shui told the Global Times on Sunday that the mascot has a unique cultural value that goes far beyond representing the Winter Olympic Games. 

Aside from buying a Bing Dwen Dwen for himself, Shui also bought multiple gifts for his friends who are all Bing Dwen Dwen's loyal fans. 

"Because Bing Dwen Dwen was designed based on a panda, China's national treasure, I believe it will stay alive in the consumption market in the future," he noted. 

The dragon-costume wearing Bing Dwen Dwen also went viral on Chinese social media platforms. On X-like Sina Weibo, lots of Chinese netizens called on the designer to have an annual launch for specially costumed Bing Dwen Dwen products, to make up a set of 12 Chinese zodiac signs.
 
Panda-shaped mascots wearing rabbit and tiger costumes were launched in 2022 and 2023.

Some netizens said that the hot sales this year reminded them of the purchasing frenzy in the winter of 2022. The Global Times reported earlier that a 300-meter line was moving slowly in front of a licensed flagship merchandise store to buy Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games-related souvenirs, particularly the mascots. 

 "The success of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and good fortune conveyed by Bing Dwen Dwen made it a symbol among consumers as well as an extension of the Olympic spirit," Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that the dragon costume also matched the atmosphere ahead of the 2024 Spring Festival and sparked a buying frenzy. 

"In my opinion, Bing Dwen Dwen is a product of the dual momentum of the Olympic cultural IP brand and the traditional Chinese zodiac," Zhang Peng, an associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.