'Crying horse' toys go viral in China ahead of Lunar New Year

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete January 27, 2026 at 03:05 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

A frowning horse plush toy has become a viral sensation in China ahead of the Lunar New Year. The toy, originally a manufacturing error in Yiwu, features an upside-down smile that gives it a sad expression. Its popularity stems from its perceived resemblance to the feelings of overworked young professionals, or "corporate slaves," in China. The toy's red color, golden collar, and embroidered message of "money comes quickly" are meant to bring good luck for the new year. Demand for the "crying horse" has surged, prompting increased production and even international orders. The Lunar New Year, which celebrates the Year of the Horse, will be celebrated in February.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Lou Zhenxian 40% South China Morning Post 40% Happy Sister 50% Zhang Huoqing ×260% Reuters ×260% Yiwu ×270% Lunar New Year ×280% China ×390%

Keywords

crying horse plush 100% viral toy 80% lunar new year 70% year of the horse 70% young workers 60% chinese zodiac 60% corporate slaves 60% viral bestseller 50% emotional value 50% yiwu 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.20

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

China

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

crying horse plush viral toy lunar new year year of the horse young workers chinese zodiac corporate slaves viral bestseller emotional value yiwu

Explore Full Topic Graph