Friendlies

Next year in August the Olympic Games will come down to Beijing. An event that is changing a lot in China and especially it's capital. The Chinese government is doing all to have the perfect Games. Many people have their doubts about the "success" of the Games. It's a subject that I surely will discuss in the future, but now I want to introduce you to the "FRIENDLIES".


Everybody in China knows them already for more than one year. When you are walking around in Beijing you can not miss them in the daily street life. And soon the world will meet these 5 cuties. Everything around them is a really intelligent marketing trick (yeah you have to buy 5 different dolls in stead of just one $$) and what they symbolise is quite thought-out very well.


Each of them symbolises one of the 5 Chinese elements and each of them is of course related to an Olympic ring. When you take half of their name and put it together you get the Phrase "北京欢迎你 Běijīng huānyíng ni" which means "Beijing welcomes you".


Now let's meet them!

Beibei (贝贝) is a Female and first mascot. She is the Blue Olympic Ring and stands for all the aquatic sports. She represents the Chinese Water element. This Friendly is a Fish, which has the same pronunciation in Chinese as prosperity. But she symbolises a fossil of a fish (old Yangshuo culture seen in the head worn by BeiBei) and therefore wants to show that China has an enormous long history.

JingJing (晶晶) is a brave male Friendly who stands for the Black Olympic Ring and for the Chinese element of Metal. He is shaped like an Giant panda an animal almost only found in China. Because of his strenght he is the ambassador of strong sports such as Weightlifting and Judo. He represents happiness. The panda is an endangered species and the Chinese government wants to show it's contribution to the preservation of the environment through JingJing.

HuanHuan (欢欢) is a male friendly standing for the red Olympic Ring and of course for the Fire element. He is designed to resemble to Olympic Flame. Fire stands for passion and this mascot is extrovert and playful. He supports all ball sports. His meaning to China is of course the fire and passion that spreads to all the Chinese to make the Olympic Games a huge success.
YingYing (迎迎) is a lively female Friendly. The yellow Olympic Ring and the Chinese element of Earth is what she stands for. She is running and symbolises health and she is the mascot for track and field. She is modelled on an Tibetan antelope, which is also an endangered species. Because this animal mainly lives in Tibet she also stand for the diversity of the Chinese population (and also a political statement to say that Tibet is part of China?).
NiNi (妮妮) is the last mascot and also male. The green colour for the green Olympic ring and the element of Wood. Friendly of the gymnastics. She represent an owl. Owl are associated in China with the coming of spring and are an omen of good luck and good fortune. One of the old names of Beijing, Yanjing (also name of a pretty good Chinese beer) is written in Chinese with the character for owl. So NiNi also refers to Beijing, the place of the Olympics