Mascot madness takes over Beijing Olympics

Bing Dwen Dwen is becoming one of the biggest stars of the 2022 Olympics.

The panda mascot of the Beijing Games is everywhere, visiting events, entertaining fans and serving as a sought-after piece of memorabilia in various forms.

Medal-winning athletes have been receiving plush toy pandas after their moments of triumph, stuffed inside a plastic shell meant to represent ice. Bing means ice in Chinese.

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Silver medal finisher Federico Pellegrino, of Italy, celebrates during a venue ceremony after the men's sprint free cross-country skiing competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 8, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Stuffed versions of Bing Dwen Dwen have become a popular souvenir. The pandas were sold out Monday at many locations, and elsewhere buyers have been limited to one each.

Shuey Rhon Rhon, a Chinese lantern child, is the mascot for the Paralympics and sometimes appears with Bing Dwen Dwen. The Chinese lantern is an ancient cultural symbol associated with harvest, celebration, prosperity and brightness.

A woman takes a picture of the Olympic mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen, at the Olympic Green ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Inflated Winter Olympic and Paralympic mascots, Bing Dwen Dwen, center right, and Shuey Rhon Rhon pose for photos at the main media center at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Jan. 24, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A resident carries away his purchase of 2022 Winter Olympics memorabilia including mascot Bing Dwen Dwen after lining up outside a store in Beijing, China, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The Olympic mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen, is introduced in the stands during the luge men's single finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 6, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Bing Dwen Dwen, the Olympics mascot walks at the curling venue ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the Olympics, turns sideways to exit through the doors after visiting the Xinhua news agency's office at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 8, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant outside an hotel at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 3, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Residents past near the Paralympic mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon left, and Winter Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen displayed near the National Stadium where a rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics is taking place, in Beijing, China, Jan. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Residents pose for photos with a cutout showing the Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen at a popular retail street in Beijing, China, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Bing Dwen Dwen, the Olympics mascot poses at the curling venue ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Workers at a factory manufacture Bing Dwen Dwen stuffed dolls, the mascot of 2022 Winter Olympics, in Jinjiang city in southeastern China's Fujian province Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. (Chinatopix via AP)

A mascot that is presented to the medal winners is displayed during the venue ceremony for the women's moguls at Genting Snow Park at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Olympic mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen, tries to squeeze through the door to enter the main media center at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Jan. 24, 2022, in Beijing. Athletes and others headed to the Olympics face a multitude of COVID-19 testing hurdles as organizers seek to catch any infections early and keep the virus at bay. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Bing Dwen Dwen, the Olympics mascot, makes an appearance during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Workers wearing the mascot costumes of the Winter Olympics to attract customers chat outside a restaurant during the Lunar New Year Eve in Beijing, Jan. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands celebrates his gold medal and Olympic record during a venue ceremony for the men's speedskating 1,500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

People line up along the Gongmei Emporium to queue overnight for a chance to buy the 2022 Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen in Beijing on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Bing Dwen Dwen, the Olympic mascot walks at the curling venue ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

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Text from AP News story, AP PHOTOS: Mascot madness takes over Beijing Olympics

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