NiNi
February 3rd, 2006 by Ping
My friend, Yuan, gave this to me just now. This is NiNi, one of the five official mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. They’re called the Friendlies. Just found this out on Beijing 2008′s website:
“Each of the Friendlies has a rhyming two-syllable name–a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.
When you put their names together–Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni–they say “Welcome to Beijing,” offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of the Five Friendlies as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games”.