For a long time, there were no indications that a plump panda wearing an ice suit would conquer China. The sale of a mascot named Bing Dwen Dwen and all related merchandise went on average in January. the day before the opening ceremony, when a Japanese NTV presenter presented the soft toy in front of the cameras. He had a lot of accessories related to the Bing Dwen Dwen and he himself gave the impression of being charmed by a sweet panda.
A video of his speech circulated social networks in China, and some fragments became virals. On China’s largest communicator, Weibo, the viewing capacity of Bing Dwen Dwen movies increased from 760,000. up to 300 million. There were also memes with mascots and famous people. Chinese media fueled the madness by showing footage of soldiers marching in front of the Bing Dwen Dwen at the foot of Mount Everest.
Two days in line, $ 500 and mascot pirates
The Chinese rushed to the shops and bought pandas so eagerly that they soon ran out. Queues formed in front of the souvenir shops, in which people wandered for two days, provided with food and drink. And this despite announcements made by loudspeakers that there will be no deliveries of pandas in the near future. Surprised producers had to move factories to higher turnover – the more so as production was temporarily interrupted due to Chinese New Year.
The craze for Bing Dwen Dwena made producer stocks on the stock markets rise by as much as 10%. The lucky buyers of the mascot also felt the interest – the stuffed animal, which they bought for $ 29 (about 110 zlotys), sold for $ 500 (2000 zlotys)! The buyers were. This, however, made it necessary to fight the mascot pirates. The Chinese media reported on people selling counterfeit mascots and the penalties imposed on them: 40,000 yuan (25 thousand zlotys) and a year in prison. The authorities informed that they canceled 230,000 to half of the Games. Internet links leading to the purchase of Olympic knockoffs.
Photo Ng Han Guan / AP
Did the boom for the Olympic mascot and related gadgets improve the budgets of the organizers of the games? It turns out that even if this boom did not take place, the funds from the sale of licensed products are still surprisingly high.
More money from mascots than from tickets
Although the organizers do not disclose official data from Beijing, experts’ estimates provided by Reuters indicate that the sale of the licensed items will cost around $ 395 million. profit. This sum gives food for thought when we compare it with the revenues obtained by the organizers from the sale of tickets. In Beijing, there is no point in looking at the influence from this area, because due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of tickets was very limited and available only to the Chinese. However, if we look at the games played before the pandemic, it turns out that at $ 400 million. There is nothing to count from the admission cards, and it is even difficult to get close to them.
In 2018, in Pyeongchang, only $ 143 million was made on tickets. The Games in Sochi (2014) brought in 205 million dollars on this account. of receipts, and those in Vancouver (2010) – 250 million. Going back even more, the amounts were smaller: Turin 2006 – 89 million; Salt Lake City 2002 – 183 million Interestingly, almost $ 400 million would be more than the revenues from the tickets of the organizers of the Summer Olympics throughout the 21st century. The only exception was London (2012), when revenues from admission cards totaled USD 988 million. In Rio (2016) it was 321 million, in Beijing (2008) – 185 million, and in Athens (2004) – 228 million.
It is also worth noting that when it comes to selling licensed gadgets, the stuffed animals themselves are the most popular. Although there are usually several hundred different Olympic products available – from pens, notebooks, caps, T-shirts, to key chains – in Pyongyang the organizers admitted that as much as 25 percent of all merchandise sales were a white tiger named Soohorang and a Himalayan bear Bandabi – the official mascots of the event. In this way, the Olympic mascot, which in its origins was to be a symbol of happiness for athletes, turned into a symbol of happiness also for sellers.
The amulet of athletes and the losses of the organizers
Half a century ago, Olympic mascots had above all noble symbolism. Of course, you can see it to this day. But in the past the mascots were supposed to serve sportsmen first of all: to de-stress them, evoke positive thoughts, energize them, bring happiness. “Mascotte” in French means an amulet. It was in Grenoble, France, that in 1968 something like the first, then still informal, Olympic mascot was spontaneously created. It was a globe-headed skier named Schuss. Although at present it is difficult to consider it a successful work – it was created hastily in one evening, it enjoyed great interest.
The success of the mascot among participants and spectators determined the IOC for action. Four years later, the marketing department of the IOC asked the organizers of the Munich Olympic Games to create an official mascot. This is how the dachshund Waldi, which had its real counterpart, was created. Details on this in the footage below.
More about the Games can be found at
Waldi then won with eagles, lions and other projects referring to Bavaria. The mascot was supposed to be joyful, not to strike pathetic tones. All the more so as in the following years it was realized that it could also be a source of income. The Games until the 1980s caused their organizers financial losses.
– In the 90s the mascots were already the flywheel of the Games. It was then that their commercialization took place. The inconspicuous mascot, sold in millions or even billions of copies, became an additional element that allowed the host to earn money at the games – describes the director of the Sports and Tourism Museum in Warsaw, S³awomir Majcher. And he points out that in recent decades – probably due to the will to increase sales – there are two or even several Olympic mascots. It was in Beijing in 2008 that we had a record five figures.
Paralympic Games with their mascots
The mascots were also supposed to warm the image of the organizer and describe its history in an original way. Coming back to the Bing Dwen Dwen panda, which is causing a sensation not only in China, because it only occurs there. “Bing” can mean ice as well as purity and strength. “Dwen Dwen” is power.
The Beijing Games have just ended, but the Paralympic Games will begin in the Chinese capital on March 4. This party has its own mascot – Shuey Rhon Rhon (“Snow, Tolerance, Warming”), a creature that resembles a lamp used in China to welcome the new year. So far, there is no information that the stores were stormed because of this mascot, but perhaps the Chinese will be helped by luck and coincidence again in promoting it? And if not, probably marketers. Not the first time. The Paralympic Games have their mascots for 40 years.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
