China News Network Chengdu, March 3 Question: Chengdu guys build a giant panda doll brand to let the world perceive the charm of giant pandas

Written by Liwen Wang

In a simulated giant panda doll studio in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, wool, filling materials and semi-finished dolls are placed on the workbench, and nearly 10 workers are concentrating on leaning over it, and after some filling, shearing and styling, giant panda dolls are born one by one. Liu Tao, the founder of the studio, introduced that nearly 800 dolls have been booked recently, and the fastest delivery time is at least half a month.

Recently, the giant panda "Hehua" has become the "top star" in the animal world. While "going to Chengdu to see 'Hehua'" has evolved into a trend, the giant panda IP effect has also driven related cultural and creative "out of the circle".

To make a simulated giant panda doll, it takes 4 processes with a total of more than 50 processes. Photo by Wang Lei

Liu Tao recalls that this is the third booking climax experienced by the studio. Their simulated giant panda doll was first unveiled at the "Hehua" first birthday party in July 2021, and fans lined up at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base for a photo with the simulated "Hehua" in Liu Tao's arms. Not only did the fans at the scene marvel that "'Hehua' ran out", but the short video shot by Liu Tao has been viewed more than 7 million times on platforms at home and abroad. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Beijing Winter Olympics mascot "Bingdundun" created with giant pandas as the prototype was a power circle fan, which once again set off the booking fever of Liu Tao's team's simulated giant panda dolls.

During the ten years that Liu Tao has been engaged in e-commerce operations, he has found that foreign friends like giant pandas. He inadvertently noticed that there are few high-quality imitation giant panda dolls on the market. In 2020, Liu Tao returned to Chengdu after "North Drift" and began to study the raw materials and processes of simulated dolls, and he wanted to create a simulated giant panda doll brand belonging to his hometown.

To make a "Japanese flower" that looks and feels simulated, it takes more than 4 processes to go through four processes: skin selection, tailoring, handicraft, and modeling, and Liu Tao's team spent more than one year groping. They traveled across China testing the fur in factories and finally selected a wool that was fluffy, colourful and tactile, and processed using traditional Chinese fur-making techniques. "The most typical facial features of 'Wahua' are water drop eyes, long eyelashes, and pointed mouth." These details are as precious as a few. In order to make the doll's eyes look good, the team made more than a dozen adjustments to the ratio and angle of the pupil to the whites of the eyes, and finally tested the satisfactory effect.

After some filling, shearing and styling, one by one the simulated giant panda dolls were born. Photo by Wang Lei

"Textured" and "realistic", this is the evaluation of most consumers after receiving dolls. Since the launch of Liu Tao's simulated giant panda dolls more than one year ago, more than 1,6000 have been sold. They not only attract the attention of Chinese consumers, but also attract the attention of overseas fans through short video platforms.

Liu Tao remembers his first overseas order. A Japanese fan found him through a Chinese shopping platform, looking at the screen full of Japanese, Liu Tao used a translator to roughly understand that the fan was expressing his love for the doll, and wanted to book a "short video of the same style" doll and was willing to bear international shipping. With the help of Liu Tao, she gradually learned to submit orders and check logistics status, and after receiving the doll, the fan ordered two more orders in a row, saying that she wanted to share her favorite things with friends.

Chengdu guys build a giant panda doll brand and sell it to more than 50 countries and regions. Photo by Wang Lei

With the fame of giant panda IP, Liu Tao's team has more and more orders at home and abroad. "These giant panda dolls have been sold to more than 50 countries and regions including the United States, Japan, and France, and we are proud to make gifts representing our hometown for the world." Liu Tao believes that Sichuan's unique giant panda resources are an opportunity for young people, and developing its new effectiveness requires the efforts of the younger generation, and the team is doing this "difficult but right thing".

At present, Liu Tao's team has grown from 3 start-ups to more than 50 employees. Liu Tao said that in the future, the team will train more craftsmen to jointly cultivate the culture of their hometown, and diversify on the basis of improving craftsmanship to create a matrix of trendy cultural and creative products. He said: "I look forward to the day when the good gift from China can make the world feel the charm of giant pandas." (End)