Fans have fallen for the cartoon character’s adventurous spirit, while businesses are already cashing in on her popularity.
The adventurous and amicable traits of a new Disney character have captured the imagination of often stressed-out young Chinese seeking an escape. Her name: LinaBell.
After debuting at Shanghai Disneyland Resort last month, LinaBell has become a viral sensation on Chinese social media platforms. As of Friday, a hashtag with the character’s name has been viewed over 330 million times on microblogging platform Weibo.
“My everyday anxiety is instantly cured after watching her videos,” a 23-year-old woman, surnamed Tan, from Shanghai told Sixth Tone. “It really brings me great joy and spiritual satisfaction. I didn’t believe someone could be so attached to a cartoon, but after meeting LinaBell, all I can think about is the little pink fox.”
LinaBell the pink fox is part of the “Duffy and Friends” toy collection and is characterized as having an “inquisitive mind and the intelligence that supports it,” according to her introduction on Disney’s website. The cunning fox also has a love for nature and a detective-like talent for solving mysteries.
Over the years, several fictional cartoon and movie characters have appealed to young Chinese, with global theme park giants like Shanghai Disney and the newly opened Universal Beijing Resort riding the trend. In 2018, Peppa Pig emerged as an unconventional street couture icon, driving the sales of merchandise involving the British cartoon character. Continue to read the full article here
– This article originally appeared on Sixth Tone.
