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Fans are clamoring over Beijing Winter Olympics souvenirs. Here's a closer look at the mascot collectibles drawing massive lines and selling out within hours.
Souvenirs from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have been selling out very quickly.
The most popular ones are of Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen, a panda, and Paralympics mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon, a Chinese lantern child.
Take a look at the souvenirs that command overnight waits and resell for as much as $500.
The Winter Olympics are in full swing.
An athlete takes part in a snowboard slopestyle practice session at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou on February 3, 2022, ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
While the athletes are the main focus, many fans are equally excited about two other prominent figures at the Games ...
Andy Wong/Associated Press
Meet Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon, the official mascots of this year's Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, respectively. Bing Dwen Dwen is seen here on the right, and Shuey Rhon Rhon is pictured on the left.
Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press
Bing Dwen Dwen is a panda with a full-body "shell" of ice that resembles an astronaut's suit, according to the official Olympics website.
Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
In Mandarin, "Bing" means ice and also symbolizes purity and strength, and "Dwen Dwen" means robust and lively and also represents children, the IOC says.
Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
The rainbow halo around its face represents "the latest advanced technologies of the ice and snow sport tracks at the Games" and the heart on its left palm "symbolizes China's hospitality for athletes and spectators at the Winter Olympics," according to the Olympics website.
Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon, mascots of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, are displayed on a building in Beijing, China.
VCG / Getty Images
Shuey Rhon Rhon is a Chinese lantern child.
Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
"Shuey" has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for snow, the first "Rhon" means "to include, to tolerate," and the second means "to melt, to fuse" and "warm," according to the Olympics website.
Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
The faint glow coming from Shuey Rhon Rhon's heart "symbolizes the friendship, warmth, courage, and perseverance of Para athletes - traits that inspire millions of people around the world every day," the website says.
Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon, mascots of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, are displayed on a building in Beijing, China.
VCG / Getty Images
Souvenirs of Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon have been selling out incredibly quickly in recent weeks as eager fans clear out shelves of stuffed animals, pins, and other merch of the mascots.
Yew Lun Tian/Reuters
During the day, fans wait in line for hours at a time to get their hands on these souvenirs.
VCG/VCG via Getty Images
At night, they hunker down, sometimes in freezing temperatures, in anticipation of the store openings the next day, bringing stools to ease the wait.
Ng Han Guan/Associated Press
The next morning, fans are eager to get inside.
Andy Wong/Associated Press
Once they do, some may be greeted by a message like this. Because of the sky-high demand for souvenirs, some stores are limiting the number of items a customer can buy per day.
Emily Roe/Reuters
Shelves don't stay stocked for long, with stores often selling out within hours.
Fred Lee/Getty Images
Popular souvenirs of Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon include plush toys and ceramic figurines, either sold individually by mascot ...
Tyrone Siu/Reuters
... or together.
Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press
Besides the stuffed animals, there are several other souvenirs celebrating the mascots, including these pins of Bing Dwen Dwen partaking in the Winter Olympics sports ...
Fred Lee/Getty Images
... as well as backpacks ...
Sergei Bobylev/TASS via Getty Images
... and apparel.
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
Of course, there's other Olympics merch for sale that doesn't feature Bing Dwen Dwen or Shuey Rhon Rhon, such as these shirts ...
Tyrone Siu/Reuters
... and hats. This wearer chose to accessorize theirs with pins of the mascots.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
But the mascot merch seems to be the most sought-after by a mile.
Roman Balandin/TASS via Getty Images
It's so popular that stuffed toys of Bing Dwen Dwen are reselling online for as much as $500, or roughly 17 times the $30 retail price.
Some people are even making their own versions of the mascot merch in the face of the short supply.
Dong Hui and his wife show the dough figurines of Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, at home in Shenyang city in northeast Chinas Liaoning province Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. The couple said they were making these mascots for their friends and relatives.
The supply crunch owes in part to a weeklong shutdown of manufacturing plants for Lunar New Year, according to Zhao Weidong, a spokesperson for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
"We are paying close attention to this problem ... we are coordinating (with factories) to increase supply of 'Bing Dwen Dwen,'" Zhao said at a press conference last week announcing the production boost.
"This issue reflects the popularity of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and also demonstrates the achievement of engaging 300 million Chinese in winter sports," Zhao added in the press conference.
Shuey Rhon Rhon (L), the mascot of the 2022 Winter Paralympics, and Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the 2022 Winter Olympics, are pictured in the Olympic Village.
Total revenue from licensed Beijing 2022 merch could reach $395 million during the Games, according to analysts from Chinese financial services firm Shanxi Securities.
While demand remains high for Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon souvenirs, a select few are guaranteed to take home a mascot of their own, complete with Olympic laurels, no line-waiting necessary: the athletes who medal at the Games.
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