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The Independent UK

National

Via AP news wire

Olympic mascots: Creative, cartoonish, at times contentious

Olympics Bing Dwen Dwen Beijing Games

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

The panda mascot of the Beijing Games has been a huge success here in the Chinese capital, where fans have lined up for hours to buy plush dolls of the round cartoon, Bing Dwen Dwen.

Then last week, the character appeared on Chinese TV — and horrified viewers by speaking with a grown man’s voice.

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