Disney is selling t-shirts and other merchandise that appear to mock Chinese President Xi Jinping with an anti-lockdown Winnie the Pooh logo.
The line of merch, available on Disney’s Japanese online store, features a frowning Pu Bear examining a blank sheet of paper – something that has become a symbol of China’s ongoing anti-lockdown movement.
Chinese citizens have previously compared the iconic Disney character to President Xi, with Beijing going so far as to ban the release of Christopher Robin – a 2018 film adaptation of AA Milne’s beloved story – over the comparison.
The image is based on a 2013 viral meme showing Pooh Bear examining a blank sheet of paper, but has been adapted to make it frown — presumably as a nod to Xi’s frustration with the protest movement across China.
Disney has mocked China’s President Xi Jinping with a collection of anti-lockdown Winnie the Pooh merchandise including t-shirts (pictured), mugs, hoodies and tote bags
Like Hong Kong and Russia protesters before them, people in China began to embrace a blank sheet of paper as a symbol of resistance to Beijing’s censorship. Pictured: Demonstrators hold up blank papers and chant slogans during a protest in Beijing on Sunday, November 27
The Xi government has pursued a zero-Covid approach since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which means short-term brutal lockdowns that lock people in their homes, often for months.
Tensions over the draconian measures have boiled over in recent weeks, prompting people to take to the streets. Footage from around the country showed protesters clashed with hazmat-clad officers struggling to crack down on the dissent.
Like Hong Kong and Russia protesters before them, the people of China began to embrace a blank sheet of paper as a symbol of defiance of Beijing’s censorship – and to show that people are speechless, but many are. Some have started dubbing the protests the “A4 revolution” – a reference to the size of the sheets of paper.
This is where the image of Winnie the Pooh comes into play. The depiction of the iconic figure staring angrily at a blank sheet of paper appears to symbolize Xi as Pooh, mocking the Chinese leader for his anger at the protests.
The line of merch, available on Disney’s Japanese online store, features a frowning Pu Bear examining a blank sheet of paper – something that has become a symbol of China’s ongoing anti-lockdown movement. Pictured: A hoodie (left) and tote bag (right) with the image
Pictured: A mug with the image of Winnie the Pooh mocking China’s Xi Jinping
Pictured: A sticker showing Winnie-the-Pooh with a blank paper was attached to a post as protesters protested in front of the Chinese Embassy in Berlin, Germany, December 3, 2022 in solidarity with protesters in China
The image is based on a viral meme (pictured) showing Pooh Bear examining a blank sheet of paper, but has been adapted to make it frown – presumably as a nod to Xi’s frustration with the protest movement across China
Pooh Bear has been banned in China on numerous occasions. In 2017, the words “Winnie the Pooh” were banned from Chinese social media ahead of that year’s Communist Party convention. The phrase was banned again in March 2018.
Later that same year, China banned the release of the Christopher Robin film.
Now the picture has made it into Disney’s Japanese store. According to NPR, the products, which feature Winnie the Pooh frowning at the newspaper, were made as part of Disney’s D-MADE program, which allows people to personalize their own merchandise.
The collection includes t-shirts, bags, mugs, hoodies and phone cases. The shirts are sold for 4950 yen or £30. The mobile phone cases are completely sold out.
Web has reached out to Disney for comment.
In recent days, China has started easing Covid restrictions in cities across the country following widespread unrest.
Testing requirements have been relaxed in Beijing, where commuters can use public transport without a virus test for the first time in months.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Shenzhen, pharmacies, parks and tourist attractions no longer require negative test results upon entry.
Chinese citizens have previously compared the iconic Disney character to President Xi, with Beijing going so far as to ban the release of Christopher Robin – a 2018 film adaptation of AA Milne’s beloved story – over the comparison. Pictured: A post on Twitter in 2020 comparing the Chinese President to Winnie the Pooh
Pictured: A meme mocks Xi Jinping and compares the Chinese president to Winnie the Pooh
Pictured: A picture posted online shows Winnie the Pooh walking with Tigger (left) and compares it to Xi Jinping walking with former US President Barack Obama (right).
2019: Men in Winnie the Pooh costumes and masks representing Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photoshoot of a graduation ceremony in support of anti-government protests at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong
Blank sheets of paper become a symbol of resistance during protests in China
Chinese protesters have turned to blank sheets of paper to express their anger at the COVID-19 restrictions in a rare, widespread wave of public dissent that has spilled beyond social media to some of China’s streets and top universities.
Pictures and videos circulating online showed students at universities in cities like Nanjing and Beijing holding up blank sheets of paper in silent protest, a tactic sometimes used to avoid censorship or arrest.
The latest spate of anger was sparked by an apartment fire that killed 10 people on Thursday in Urumqi, a far western city where some people have been locked up for 100 days, fueling speculation that COVID lockdown measures are causing the escape of residents may have disabled .
In Shanghai, a crowd gathered to hold a candlelight vigil for the victims of Urumqi held up blank sheets, according to witnesses and videos.
A widely circulated video, allegedly from November 26, which could not be independently verified, showed a lone woman standing with a piece of paper on the steps of the Communication University of China in the eastern city of Nanjing before an unidentified man walked in the scene and grabs it.
Other images showed dozens of other people subsequently entering the university steps with blank sheets of paper lit against the night sky by flashlights from their mobile phones.
Residents in the Chinese capital were allowed to enter parks, supermarkets, offices and airports without a negative COVID-19 test on Tuesday, the latest in a mix of nationwide lockdown measures following unprecedented protests against a strict zero-COVID policy.
“Beijing Prepares for Life Again,” read a headline in the government’s China Daily, adding that people are “gradually embracing” the newfound freedoms.
Authorities have, to varying degrees, eased some of the world’s toughest COVID curbs and softened their tone on the threat posed by the virus, in what many may be hoping could herald a more pronounced shift towards normalcy.
“This could be the first step towards reopening,” 27-year-old Hu Dongxu told Portal as he swiped his travel card to enter a Beijing train station, which has also eliminated the need for testing to use the subway .
While awaiting news, some people rushed to buy COVID antigen kits and fever medication, fearing the virus could spread faster now, and market regulators issued warnings against hoarding and price hikes.
Both of the city’s airports also no longer require testers to enter the terminal, state media reported, although there was no indication of a change in the rule for testing negative before boarding a flight.
While the rallies have largely subsided, according to videos on Twitter, crowds of students at a university in the city of Nanjing chanted at a protest against COVID policies at its campus on Monday, according to videos on Twitter. Portal confirmed the footage was shot at Nanjing Tech University.
China could announce 10 new easing measures as early as Wednesday, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Portal.
The prospect of an easing has sparked optimism among investors that the world’s second largest economy will regain strength and help boost global growth.