Fuwa Mascots

The Mahalo Top 7

Beijing 2008: The Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
- "Fuwa...embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature -- the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky -- all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation."
Wikipedia: Fuwa
Pinyin news: Bei-Bei jing-jing wel-wel comes-comes you-you (2005)
- Interesting post about the linguistics behind the Fuwa names: "Note how each name is a doubled syllable [i.e. the same syllable], which is a common way to form affectionate nicknames in Mandarin. (My wife, for example, is named Hsin-chun, but many in her family refer to her as Hsin-hsin.)"
CBS News: Meet The Mascots, 5 Mascots Introduced After Months Of Secrecy (2005)
YouTube: Promotion Video of Mascots for the Beijing 08 Olympic Games (Time 3:24)
Live Search Images: Fuwa Mascots
YouTube: The mascots of 2008 Olympic Game (Time 1:47)

Google News: Fuwa
China Daily: Beijing Olympic Float brings new inspirations to Rose Parade (January 2, 2008)
China Daily: Beijing finally unveils its Olympic mascots - five Fuwa (2005)
- "Sales of licensed products, including those with the mascot, have brought in about US$300 million at the Sydney and Athens Olympics. Host cities keep 10 to 15 percent of the royalties, helping to defray the costs of staging the Games."
Pacific Daily News: Fuwa want to be your Friends
Times Online: Olympic Friendlies come under fire (2006)
CBS News: Meet The Mascots, 5 Mascots Introduced After Months Of Secrecy (2005)
- "It is the most number of mascots any Olympic Games has had in more than 30 years. The Salt Lake City and Sydney Games both had three. "