Face of Draco Malfoy, one of Harry Potter's most recognizable villains, has been pasted beside crimson couplets on apartment doors, decorated on tea cups and shimmering from the backs of smartphones by netizens as a mascot of good fortune for the Year of the Horse. Photo: Sina Weibo

For some you might not know, Draco Malfoy is now an unexpected mascot of good fortune for the Year of the Horse among Chinese netizens. Pasted beside crimson couplets on apartment doors, decorated on tea cups and shimmering from the backs of smartphones is the face of Malfoy — the silver-tongued Slytherin from J.K. Rowling's massively successful book series Harry Potter. 

The trend stems from a clever linguistic play on words. In the Chinese translation, Malfoy's name is rendered as ma er fu - the character ma means "horse," while fu means fortune or blessing. This coincidental combination has led Chinese netizens to adopt Malfoy as a playful symbol for the upcoming Year of the Horse.

Tom Felton, the actor who plays Malfoy, has reshared an Instagram story highlighting his new status as a "symbol of Chinese New Year in China."

A Xiaohongshu user, reposting Felton's acknowledgment, captured the collective amusement: "When netizens play with this, it's 100% hilarious. When Malfoy himself joins in, it's 100,000% hilarious."

A search for ma er fu on social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu reveals a host of festive merchandise, including fridge magnets, phone cases and small pendants featuring Malfoy's distinctive smirk.

Some users are also placing Malfoy's picture on fuzi, traditional red paper squares that usually display the character for good luck fu, while others have hung the posters upside-down — a customary New Year's pun where "upside-down" sounds like "arrive" — suggesting that fortune is on its way. 

A shopping mall in Central China's Henan Province has hung an electronic banner showing Chinese spring festival couplets featuring the huge picture of Malfoy at the center, according to online posts. 

"I have to say this is really creative. What kind of genius netizen could come up with such an idea?... Everyone who has read Harry Potter will smile, as countless wonderful memories will come rushing back," a Weibo user Zhuishanai posted.

A post with the hashtag "The Year of the Horse ma er fu" on social media Weibo has garnered hundreds of comments. "Wish you good fortune in the Year of the Horse! "Full of good fortune!" All your wishes come true!" the user Yizhishangshangqian wrote, with Malfoy's smirk on red fuzi. 

Yinuo, a Xiaohongshu user, who is a dedicated fun of Harry Potter, has printed fuzi with Malfoy's face and pasted it on the wall of her office cubicle to lift her spirits during working hours. "Ma er fu simply fits the festive atmosphere for the Year of the Horse!"

"I've watched the series more than five times since middle school. Though he's a villain in the films, Malfoy is a charming character with a lot of depth," Yinuo added. 

When she shared a photo of her poster, many friends asked her to print copies for them. "All Harry Potter fans will get the point!" she said.

Some businesses have smelled the trend. A shop on Taobao, a Chinese e-commerce platform, selling a fridge magnet depicting Malfoy riding a horse while holding the Chinese character fu lists the item for 6.5 yuan (93 cents). A shop owner who runs a store on Taobao told the Global Times on Wednesday that the sales have been strong, with over 100 pieces already sold.

On Xiaohongshu, phone cases featuring Malfoy's smirk are advertised for 7 to 12 yuan each, catering to the demand for this quirky New Year's novelty. "It is estimated that around 100 pieces will be sold for each model," a shop owner said. 

The trend has drawn coverage from international outlets like the BBC and CNN. Some Chinese readers acclaimed how wholesome it is, while some overseas observers expressed confusion over the trend. 

In a BBC report, the piece notes that "On Chinese social media, pictures show some users sticking couplets or upside down pictures of Malfoy's signature smirk." It also highlights that Chinese netizens cite "Felix Felicis," a reference to a potion in the series that makes the drinker lucky for a period of time, in a bid to attract good fortune.

A report by CNN also quoted some customers saying "Bring me some fortune in 2026, young master," to express their wish for New Year good fortune by way of Malfoy.

Beyond the playful adoption of Malfoy's name for its lucky connotations, other celebrities have been harnessed for homophonic puns in marketing. 

The Chinese dairy giant Yili featured actress Ma Yili as a brand ambassador. Her surname, pronounced ma, is used for the word "horse." Capitalizing on the puns, the brand launched a campaign inviting netizens to complete a couplet. The given first line read: "Ma Yili, choose Yili in the Year of the Horse." The activity garnered around 60,000 likes and nearly 7,000 comments on Weibo.

The Chinese Zodiac has long been a topic for foreign media. The Economic Times reported that in Chinese astrology, every year combines a zodiac animal with an element, and 2026 merges the boldness of the horse with the fiery intensity of the fire element. This combination urges decisive action, forward momentum and the pursuit of personal goals, according to the report.