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Upon first glance, one would imagine a cute, anthropomorphic animal mascot would have a voice that is relatively high in pitch.
Meet the Beijing Winter Olympics mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen–whose namesake translates to "ice child."
The orotund, fluffy character is affectionately described as a "roly-poly space panda."
Some fun in the snow for #BingDwenDwen at #Beijing2022. How do you celebrate a snowy day? pic.twitter.com/klrtC1L2P5— Olympics (@Olympics) 1644918022
Cute, right?
However, based on reactions on Chinese social media, this mascot should only be seen and not heard.
The seemingly affable character–with eyes expressing a child-like sense of wonder–was brutally slammed online in China after the mascot was heard speaking during a Livestream interview with a voice resembling that of a middle-aged man.
Winter Olympics: Backlash in China after popular panda mascot Bing Dwen Dwen speaks in deep male voice https://www.asiaone.com/china/winter-olympics-backlash-china-after-popular-panda-mascot-bing-dwen-dwen-speaks-deep-male?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&Echobox=1644893524#xtor=CS2-4\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/VAXqg3NXgW— AsiaOne (@AsiaOne) 1644911904
Chinese social media users were dumbfounded to hear the gruff, low register voice "with a northeastern accent" that was a stark contrast from the one they initially heard in their heads.
I have watched maybe 15 total minutes of Olympics coverage, but I have read all of the articles about the rotund panda mascot. \n\nWhen it spoke with the voice of a middle aged man, people DID NOT LIKE IT. Damage control ensued:https://www.wsj.com/articles/bing-dwen-dwen-beijing-olympics-11644829575\u00a0\u2026— Shira Ovide (@Shira Ovide) 1644852913
You can hear Bing Dwen Dwen's voice here in the interview by state broadcaster China Central Television with Chinese freestyle skier Yang Shuorui.
Disillusioned Chinese audiences took to Weibo–the country's version of Twitter–to express their dismay over Bing Dwen Dwen's voice.
"This is the end of my fantasy. The adult world has no room for fairy tales," wrote Weibo user, LingYun ShiHan.
Another Weibo user by the ID Great-Annie wrote:
"I don't find Bing Dwen Dwen cute anymore. It's an old man! I'm saving my money."
"Bing Dwen Dwen started talking. I was so disillusioned," said one comment on Weibo. Others agreed, calling the voice "disgusting" and saying they couldn't finish watching.https://www.cnn.com/style/article/bing-dwen-dwen-beijing-olympic-mascot-outrage-intl-hnk/index.html\u00a0\u2026— James Griffiths is in Beijing \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3 (@James Griffiths is in Beijing \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3) 1644630896
Bing Dwen Dwen story is Chucky 2.0. First, everyone thinks Chucky is a cute doll. One night, they freak out after it starts talking with a deep male voice (not the male voice for ads or documentary kind but exorcist kind) & pulling its knife out.https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/bing-dwen-dwen-beijing-olympic-mascot-outrage-intl-hnk/index.html\u00a0\u2026— Mattrise.eth | Crypto. Gamer. Coffee. Designer (@Mattrise.eth | Crypto. Gamer. Coffee. Designer) 1644659318
In response to the backlash, China's censors pulled the interview clip from the internet and removed the hashtag, "Bing Dwen Dwen has spoken," from Weibo that linked to negative comments, according to the Wall Street Journal.
'There was nothing childlike when Bing Dwen Dwen spoke, to the nation\u2019s dismay. Instead, it was the voice of a middle-aged man, sounding a lot like an earnest uncle, with the distinct inflection of natives of northeastern China.'https://www.wsj.com/articles/bing-dwen-dwen-beijing-olympics-11644829575\u00a0\u2026— Beiyi Seow (@Beiyi Seow) 1644838734
The media outlet noted that after Chinese media "moved in to contain the damage," they denounced the controversial mascot seen in the Livestream interview.
They called the speaking panda from the footage an imposter and reshared a quote from a Beijing Olympics organizing committee legal expert who confirmed Bing Dwen Dwen was not supposed to speak and was limited to making "babbling noises."
The article also mentioned that, according to legal expert Wu Yujia, Bing Dwen Dwen was "contractually obligated under a deal with the International Olympic Commission to be gender-neutral and refrain from speaking."
In fact, the mascot was originally conceived as a character that didn't have a voice at all.
The Beijing Games' art director Lin Chunzhen said in a February 13 interview with ShanghaiEye:
"At the beginning of the process when we designed this auspicious mascot, we strictly obeyed the rule that the mascot character should not have a speaking voice."
"It can make squeaky noises, but it can't speak."