Beijing huanying ni
11/12/2005 @ 3:00 pm
Beijing has announced five(!?!) mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
From left to right they are a fish called Beibei, a giant panda named Jingjing, the Olympic flame Huanhuan, a Tibetan antelope called Yingying, and a swallow named Nini.
The names were selected so stringing the first syllable of each together forms the sentence Beijing huanying ni, or “Beijing welcomes you.”
Not so cute. Japan does it better.
November 12th, 2005 at 3:53 pmCute? They’re downright scary.. Especially the three on the right. Geez.
November 12th, 2005 at 4:06 pmAdorable! They even included an animal from an occupied foreign land they claim as their own!
November 12th, 2005 at 5:30 pmThe panda looks like a laser-eyed, possessed, human-killing robot.
The red one looks like an insane sadistic serial killer.
That yellow demon one looks like it wants to eat my still-beating heart.
The green one looks like a demented clown that has been locked in a confined space for a long time.
The blue one looks like it’s living a tortured life, just a thing for the rest of them to taunt.
I’m afraid.
November 12th, 2005 at 6:06 pmFive mascots of the apocalypse…
November 12th, 2005 at 7:35 pmThe five mascots are called “Friendlies”. Not “The Friendlies”, just “Friendlies”.
http://en.beijing2008.com/37/03/column211990337.shtml
Why are Chinese designs always so menacing and completely un-cute? Hodori the Tiger from Seoul, now there was an olympic mascot.
November 12th, 2005 at 9:53 pmThis is one huge PR public relations disaster for China, just shows how much work they need to do still in mastering the fine art of branding, and I am not talking about branding prisoners with hot metal iron brands, but marketing savvy and learning the Japanese art of cute. Please, someone, quick, get thee to Peking and learn them some PR skills. These mascots are a total disaster and will be the laughingstock of the civilized world.
November 13th, 2005 at 12:57 pmSeems more like “fiendlies.”
[rim shot!:lol:]
November 13th, 2005 at 1:53 pmOK which one is Mao?
November 14th, 2005 at 9:37 amfor all the china bashers commenting here……. there are lots of chinese people making a mint from these mascots and mascot related merchandise is selling like hot cakes. So say what you may as they’re the ones getting rich from it and not you… hahaha
And trust me in saying this there’s a lot of uncute junk that comes out from Japan eg. Sanrio the owners of Hello Kitty have many other characters and they’re absolute crap.
November 14th, 2005 at 7:23 pmcomment #3 “Adorable! They even included an animal from an occupied foreign land they claim as their own!”
You seem to forget that countries like the USA, Canada or Australia to name but a few are techincally occupied lands from former european colonist and Australia still has the UK flag in it’s national flag. And don’t tell me that in those former days that the indigenious population welcomed the colonist with open arms.
So in your argument the American eagle or the kangaroo are symbols of occupied lands!!!
What short selective memories you people have!!!!
Maybe in a hundred years or so in your manner of thinking then Tibet will just be another province of China and all the ‘Free Tibet’ protest will have faded away into distant history and memory.
November 14th, 2005 at 9:38 pmWow, they really brainwashed you good, mr. Anonymous man. You mean to say current ethnic cleansing of Tibetans by importing Han Chinese to totally smother any possible future dream of Tibetan independence is justified because someone else did something similar two centuries ago? Well why don’t you start throwing them into gas chambers then, that’s been done before.. Yeah, I truly admire your logic.
As to the mascots, believe it or not it’s not my ambition in life to get rich from mascot design, or marketing, and I’m willing to bet it’s not that high on the priority list for too many other people here either. These mascots just plain suck, and are prolly just a subconscious expression of the evil communist clique that guided their design. The Russians did it a lot better, with the wolf and rabbit which was kinda cute, and the Moscow Olympics bear. But these are just gonna give children nightmares.
November 15th, 2005 at 5:20 amOf course people are getting rich of these. If you don’t buy them then the government sends 5 guys around in suits that look like them to give you a bit of ‘convincing’
November 15th, 2005 at 6:27 amUS invading Iraq….twice!!!!
Thousands of innocent civilians being killed by US forces.
US human rights violations in the ‘war against terrorism’.
The Iraqi Abu Ghraib prisoner violations.
Guantanamo Bay prisoner human rights violations
US secret black prisons around the world.
In France they’re monitoring all the internet, voice and text messaging services to try and control the unrest of its citizens at the moment.
Many countries where woman are not even allowed to work or are classed as second class citizens.
Just a very small list of the what the world is like outside of china at the moment. And yes you could probably write down a list of all the things you don’t like about china too. But this is my point, every country has committed unethical acts in their time and still are.
And no, I do not agree with many policies of the chinese government but at the same time the western governments are no better themselves as they always like to present themselves as the ‘good guys’ and judge and jury on the rest of the world.
Who’s evil? Who’s been brainwashed? Who’s biased? Who’s shortsighted on world affairs?
Duo, you don’t even know me to say i have been brainwashed. My main point wasn’t trying to justify the actions in Tibet but to show that the rest of the world has a lot to answer for as well. Gassing, wasn’t it the Germans who did the gassing and the Japanese who did chemical and biological experiments on the chinese. I ask the question again, who’s evil? Can you say for 100% sure that the design were controlled by the ‘evil communists’ or are you just giving me your personal ‘brainwashed’ opinion.
comment #13 well you’re very clever aren’t you, give yourself a bone.
November 15th, 2005 at 10:09 amLet’s remember that JAPUNDIT is not a place to discuss U.S. policies or politics, or the Iraq War. There are more than enought sites were you can do that.
November 15th, 2005 at 10:42 amI hear Al Capone got pretty rich, too.
November 15th, 2005 at 10:43 amXXXX indicates a segment that was deleted because it violated JAPUNDIT comment policy.
*gives himself a bone*
I fail to see what Germans gassing of the Jews or Japans previous generations of atrocities have to do with this. If we wanted to bring stuff like that up we could go back all the way to the mongols invasion and claim Mongolia is an evil country because of that but it makes no sense. We are talking about now.
Im afraid that unfortunatly at the moment China is slightly behind with issues like human rights issues. Yes there are countries that are worse (I would say North Korea).
However countries like America aren’t as bad on every day rights, XXXXXXXXXX. But China is still behind western countries in the majority, although hopefully it will catch up now with all the development.
To get back to the original subject rather than having to address Anonymous because he has to result to petty comments. Im not entirely sure how people viewing the olympics will like a mascot being a Tibetan antelope. And isn’t there a few too many? O.o they should have just made one mascot that everyone could remember (no way im gonna remember 5 of those things)
November 15th, 2005 at 11:43 amMaybe not a place to discuss US policies but certainly a place to bash on China it seems. So why don’t the people here stop doing that too. As we all know that a lot of Japanese culture is derived from chinese culture.
I like Japan and it’s people (i’ve been there) so i know what they’re like in real life not just from something i’ve have seen, heard or read in the media and i’ve also been to the US.
And i don’t think I was the one who started off the petty comments or the one to bring in politics into this article (comment #3) Tom.
Maybe XXXX was in violation of Japundits policy but in the UK it would not have been considered a swear word but a word meaning ‘rubbish’.
Yes it’s fair to give one’s opinion on the mascots but to also implicitly bash china at the same time is unnecessary.
November 15th, 2005 at 4:49 pmYes it’s fair to give one’s opinion on the mascots but to also implicitly bash china at the same time is unnecessary.
China is a nation that deserves to be bashed. The government, anyway.
November 15th, 2005 at 5:08 pmJAPUNDIT is about Asia. As such, all of the countries in the region have been criticized at one time or another here.
Political discussions, as long as they are about Asian countries are welcome. China is fair game. However, we will not allow any discussion about U.S. or other non-Asian politics or policies here. Period.
The blogosphere is overloaded with U.S. political blogs of all stripes.
JAPUNDIT is not one of them.
November 15th, 2005 at 5:10 pm“Who’s been brainwashed? Who’s biased? Who’s shortsighted on world affairs?”
Answer: You, you and you - if you really believe that the other countries are “no better” than China. I actually doubt you believe your own words, though, and are just eager to whine about evil America. You hardly give a damn about a billion Chinese except as rhetorical devices.
What are all these violations you cite. By the way? Violations of what laws, by whose authority? I have several traffic violations. Does that make me as bad as China too?
November 15th, 2005 at 9:56 pmHow did such cute - well sort of cute in sterile kind of way - mascots cause such a big fuss?
November 15th, 2005 at 10:17 pmThey are the ugliest mascots I’ve ever seen.
November 16th, 2005 at 10:20 amTruth in advertising
Beijing has unveiled the mascots for the 2008 Olympics. There are five separate mascots, more than ever before. Xinhua reports:Each of the Beijing Olympic mascot…
November 16th, 2005 at 6:36 pmI think they are excellent and the concept behind them well thought out
November 16th, 2005 at 10:25 pmThere are always people wanting to put things down,negative people
Yeah, oppression, executions, suppression of religion, rounding up of North Korean refugees and sending them back to North Korea… it all makes me very negative.
November 16th, 2005 at 10:41 pm“I think they are excellent and the concept behind them well thought out
There are always people wanting to put things down,negative people ”
You mean sincere people? My concept of beauty is better that yours.
November 17th, 2005 at 5:08 amOur chinese is friendly to everybody!!
November 19th, 2005 at 12:26 amwelcome to beijing
Chinese (28), just to clear this up a little, nobody here is set against the Chinese people somehow (at least I think so.. well, not me at least), just the oppressive government that seems to have it’s tentacles in every little detail of life in your country, even mascots.
November 19th, 2005 at 5:32 amChinese,
Well, I am afraid the first person most visitors will meet will be their Beijing taxi driver. Or will they all be honest and polite by 2008?
November 19th, 2005 at 8:19 amIt’s becoming a real drag having to repeat this, but. . . JAPUNDIT has no desire to become yet another site that debates U.S. policies, politics, or elections.
Discussion, debate, or asides about the policies and/or politics of the U.S., its president, or its past elections will not be tolerated on JAPUNDIT.
November 19th, 2005 at 6:03 pmAlas,I try to be objective here so I’ll leave out the Tibet issue.
November 27th, 2005 at 6:50 pmBut fellows,first of all the Tibetan antelopes live on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau,mainly found in Kekexili which is in Qinghai province,not Tibet.
Secondly,for whatever reason,it is never wise to connect the Olympics with politics.Complicating the meaning of mascots based on one’s personal assumption,especially when he doesn’t even know where the animal actually lives,is one example.
Finally,these don’t look much like the original design.For more pictures: http://www.fivefriendlies.com/
I think it speaks volumes about certain people’s socio-political obsessions when an article about some dumb mascots sparks a cascade of debate on international politics.:lol:
BTW wasn’t the IZZIT blue grit thing from Atlanta uglier?
Mascots for Olympic Games is pretty stupid anyway. Did the Ancient Greeks have guys running around in ridiculous-looking costumes cheering on naked wrestlers?
November 27th, 2005 at 7:09 pm“Tibetan antelopes live ….mainly ….in Qinghai province,not Tibet.”
Well, yes, but that ignores the fact that there are no jobs for antelopes in Tibet. Thus their migration to Qinghai does’t make them less Tibetan. There are countless antelopes on the streets of Shanghai for the same reason, though they are usually denied jobs that would be readily available to, say, Fujian deer. Thus, many Tibetan antelopes have been forced into crime to feed their young. They are such a threat that I have yet to meet even one taxi driver in Shanghai who has accepted a Tibetan antelope as a passenger. You can check on this, it’s an indisputable and shameful fact.
This is all part of official Chinese policy to drive the antelopes from Tibet and repopulate it with Chinese animals, such as cats, which are not very delicious.
November 27th, 2005 at 9:06 pmI was about to laugh.But let’s get back to the point whether China could use the Tibetan antelope as a mascot before you bring up yet another political issue over some fluffy toys…
November 27th, 2005 at 10:58 pmTibetan antelopes are named Tibetan antelopes,NOT because they are politically Tibetan “citizens”.Their main habitats include Xinjiang,Qinghai and part of Tibet.This mascot represents the west of China as a whole.
Just because Tibet has Tibetan antelopes then their other habitats don’t count? Just because it’s got the T word in its name,it makes them less Qinghai-ish or Xinjiang-ish?
To make all of you who can only read “Tibetan” in their name,maybe we should just call them chiru,just to be fair.
You’re right JP, sorry.
I looked it up, turns out Sydney 2000 had three mascots so this actually isn’t all too unusual. And please please let’s not start comparing these olympics to Atlanta, that was just horrible.. What a total screw-up, man. Frankly I don’t see how Beijing could do it any worse. But D., international politics aside, tell me you don’t think little kids won’t freak out when that flame thing or the antelope comes up and tries hugging ‘em. I think I’d be scarred for life!
November 28th, 2005 at 5:45 amThanks, Duo. I always like being right. But I think your remark was for D. Weber.
JP
November 28th, 2005 at 9:48 amI meant for #29.
You know, the antelope kinda grew on me, it’s got a nice smile.
November 28th, 2005 at 10:02 amThose mascots reminds me of Ultraman.
December 9th, 2005 at 11:07 amEducation c
March 25th, 2006 at 11:09 pmosts money, but then so does ignorance.