The Olympic Mascot - Fuwa

These cute little characters are seen all over China in every way, shape and form you could imagine! I even saw them painted on a huge jet plane the last time I was at the airport! They are the mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and they have become a huge hit around China. Their names are Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini which, when put together, says "Beijing Huanying Ni" or "Beijing Welcomes You." Each Fuwa represents a popular Chinese animal - the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow (with the exception of the red one who holds the Olympic torch.) As you can see, they each represent one color of the Olympic rings. They are also associated with a certain personality, cultural inspiration, sport, and ideal. If you want to read more about what each one symbolizes you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuwa or http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068254.shtml
Personally, I think these are a brilliant design and I would say they have done their job of generating excitement, worldwide.

A recent turn of events, though, finds the Fuwas at the center of a hugely superstitious debate. China has witnessed a rough year with a lot of major, global incidents and because of this, many people are beginning to question the "good" of the Fuwa. Here are some examples of the so-called "Curse of the Fuwas":

• Nini (green) has a kite on her head. Kite flying is a tradition that comes from Shandong province where a train collision occurred.
• Yingying (yellow) is a Tibetan antelope - enough said?
• Huanhuan (red) is the Olympic torch. The torch running has caused massive problems all over the world, especially in a certain European country...
• Jingjing (black) is a giant panda. Pandas come from Sichuan province - the earthquake.
• Beibei (blue), the fish, is innocent so far...BUT...torrential rains and flooding across the country might be enough to do her in...

So...what's the consensus? Innocent...or Evil?? :)