A plush toy featuring a frowning horse has taken China by storm in the lead-up to Lunar New Year celebrations. This unusual cuddly toy measures around 20 centimeters and retails for 25 yuan (around £2.62). To our shock it has turned out to be a viral bestseller! The toy’s popularity comes at a perfect time as 2014 is the Year of the Horse, making the toy a timely novelty.
The backstory for the frowning horse plush is just as captivating. A factory worker inadvertently sewed the wrong side up creating the plush’s signature face. Zhang Huoqing is the owner of the factory that manufactured the plush toy. He figured he would do a refund for the customer who purchased it. The photo of the horse’s frowning face immediately went viral. This wave of enthusiasm resulted in the plush selling out within minutes!
In light of the MASSIVE demand, Zhang’s factory is scaling up production. They are already meeting orders not only from within the Chinese market, but from abroad—primarily, from new buyers. This unexpected surge in popularity highlights how the frowning expression resonates particularly with young workers in China, who find the toy relatable.
One buyer, known online as Tuan Tuan Mami, expressed her sentiments about the plush, stating, “This little horse looks so sad and pitiful, just like the way I feel at work.” She further elaborated on her connection to the toy by saying, “With this crying toy in the Year of the Horse, I hope to leave all my grievances at work behind and keep only happiness.”
Even with its success, not everyone is singing the praises of the frowning squishy equine. Lou Zhenxian, a shop owner in Yiwu, remarked on the toy’s aesthetics, describing it as ugly but acknowledging its appeal: “It’s the kind of emotional value young people look for these days.”
Zhang Huoqing observed that customers love the aesthetic design of the toy. He stated, “A lot of customers like it, and they said it makes sense: that it suits the spirit of today’s corporate slaves.” He further commented on the cultural resonance of the toy, saying, “This crying horse really fits the reality of modern working people.”
The frowning horse plush has become more than just a toy. It symbolizes the shared feelings and struggles of many young employees in today’s corporate landscape. Zhang added humorously, “People joked that the crying horse is how you look at work, while the smiling one is how you look after work.”