Mascot too cute to bear!

Cute, cuddly and adorable! No one can resist the charm of Rongbao, the official mascot of the Chengdu FISU World University Games, which kicked off on Friday in the capital city of Sichuan province.

The giant panda, sporting flame-shaped ears, eyes and tail, has been an instant hit with participants from around the world. Long queues outside souvenir shops and crowds of student-athletes waiting to take selfies with Rongbao bear testament to the panda's popularity.

"I was instantly attracted by Rongbao. The giant panda is a very rare animal, and we have very limited opportunities to see them in real life. I always like to watch videos of cute pandas online. They are cute and sometimes a little bit silly," Eer Jiangying, an archery athlete from the National University of Singapore, told China Daily.

"So I want to check out all the panda souvenirs in Chengdu. I know there is a huge panda park in Chengdu and I want to visit there when I finish my competition. I hope I can have a good performance here at the World University Games. Away from the competition, I just want to enjoy my time in Chengdu."

Slovakian Kamila Plavnicka, a women's basketball player from Pavol Jozef Safarik University, is another huge Rongbao fan.

"This is the first time I've seen so many panda mascots. I totally love it. Not just me, my coach actually wanted to see pandas all his life. So it's like his main goal besides basketball in Chengdu," Plavnicka told China Daily.

"I'm also a panda fan. I only saw a panda once before, in a zoo. I will definitely buy some Rongbao souvenirs to bring back home. In terms of my expectations in Chengdu, I hope to meet new people and make new friends. I also want to play good games here."

More than 1,000 licensed Rongbao items, spread across 18 types of products, are on sale, including collectible toy figures, pins and even Rongbao-shaped ice cream. Rongbao products are available at over 400 souvenir shops across the nation, and can also be bought from official online stores, with a number of products already out of stock.

"I saw the pictures of Rongbao online. I particularly like the Rongbao toy that features Sichuan's face-changing performance elements. The design is very attractive. So when I saw the souvenir shop, I just came in to check if I can buy one. It's great to combine Rongbao with our local culture," said local resident Cai Yinuo.

The designers of Rongbao are delighted to see demand for the mascot surging .

"We designed a series of blind-box collectibles of Rongbao. Based on the original design, we dressed the panda in the costumes of the Sichuan Opera. We also designed several Sichuan face-changing performance masks with magnets for the toy. So collectors can change the masks for Rongbao," said designer Zang Xiaoke, who was also involved in the design of licensed products for Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

As well as incorporating local cultural elements from Sichuan, the Rongbao figure kitted out in an astronaut suit is also flying off the shelves.

The idea is to pay tribute to China's recent achievements in space travel.

"At the very start of this design, our team had a lot of discussions on how to promote the technological elements of the World University Games. We wanted to make the space-themed Rongbao creative and fun. While we are paying tribute to Chinese astronautical development, we also wanted the design to inspire the younger generation to explore and chase their dreams," Zang added.

"The space-themed Rongbao has proven immensely popular, and fans love it. We have designed a lot of different Rongbao styles. We just want to make it cooler. Before we started work on the design, I visited Chengdu many times. I like the city, and I was on a mission to seek out ideas here.

"For the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Bing Dwen Dwen is part of the ice and snow world. For the World University Games in Chengdu, which are summer games, we have combined Rongbao with a flame and all the elements of Chengdu culture."

Wang Yuanyuan specializes in designing different outfits for Rongbao. Her team designed more than 30 costumes for Rongbao, ensuring the mascot always catches the eye.

"The demand for all kinds of Rongbao figures is massive. We have been working hard to design more outfits. We hope the mascot can represent the best of Chinese culture," said Wang.

"Each outfit has its own story. For instance, one is called 'Rongbao is busy', which represents all the hardworking dream chasers in Chengdu.

"And Chengdu is also a city of sports. Our team combined fashion with the city's characteristics. We also plan to launch more outfits for the beloved mascot."