Introducing... The Friendlies!

I'm back from China with lots of new and exciting stories to tell. But, I am not feeling very well thanks to the fun souvenir illness that I brought back with me. So, slow and steady will have to do for now.

I'm starting with an introduction to the "Fuwa" or The Friendlies: the five adorable mascots for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

One of the slogans for this year's Olympics is "Beijing Welcomes You!" When you write this slogan in Chinese, it takes five characters to complete the phrase (北京欢迎你) and it is pronounced as "Běijīng huānyíng nĭ" When naming the five Friendlies, they doubled each syllable to form a name: BeiBei, JingJing, HuanHuan, YingYing and Nini.

BeiBei is the blue mascot. She represents water and the blue Olympic ring. And, even though it isn't that clear, she is a fish. Specifically, she is a Yangtze river sturgeon and she is in charge of the
aquatic sports events.

JingJing is the black mascot. He's a giant panda. He represents wood and the black Olympic ring. He is the mascot for sports like judo and weightlifting.

HuanHuan is the red mascot. He represents the Olympic torch, fire, and the red Olympic ring. HuanHuan is the mascot for "ball sports."

YingYing is the yellow mascot. He is a Tibetan Antelope and incorporates some elements of the costumes of two of China's ethnic minority groups. He represents earth and the yellow Olympic ring. He is the mascot for Track and Field.

NiNi is the green mascot. She is a swallow that represents the sky and the green Olympic ring. She is the mascot for sports like gymnastics.

As the Opening Ceremony to the Olympics approaches (08/08/08), I expect you will see these Friendlies in more and more places. Learn their names now to impress your friends and co-workers later.