Fuwa

The Fuwa (|p=Fúwá}}; literally "good-luck dolls", also known as "Friendlies") were the mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The designs were created by Han Meilin, a Chinese artist. The designs were publicly announced by the National Society of Chinese Classic Literature Studies on 11 November 2005 at an event marking the 1000th day before the opening of the games.

There are five Fuwas: Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. Together, the names form the sentence "", or "Beijing huanying ni," which means "Beijing welcomes you". Originally named 'The Friendlies', they were promoted as 'Fuwa' when concerns arose that the name could be misinterpreted.

While originally given artistic licence in his commission, Han Meilin was subsequently requested by officials to include various Chinese designs and fauna in the Fuwa. Han Meilin drew 1,000 models of possible Fuwa (including a dragon and an anthropomorphic drum) before settling on the five characters. He has since disowned the Fuwa and did not include them in his museum. He suffered two heart attacks while designing the Fuwa.

A 100-episode Olympic-themed animated television series featuring the Fuwa was released in China, primarily on BTV (Beijing's municipal television network), on 8 August 2007. Titled ''The Olympic Adventures of Fuwa'' (), it was jointly produced by BTV and Kaku Cartoon. It ran from 8 August to 1 October 2007. There are also two sequels created by CCTV, ''Beibei's Promise'' and ''The Five Rings''.

The China Environmental Awareness Programme program, started in 2001, used the Fuwa to raise public awareness by spreading environmental messages. Provided by Wikipedia