Olympic Torch Lighters Sell Briskly in Beijing

Following up on yesterday’s whirlwind tour of Olympic torch design, we bring you news of torch-related souvenirs, now selling briskly in Beijing. According to our UnBeige spy in the People’s Republic, among the most popular Olympic trinkets is a lighter (pictured in box, at near left) that is “essentially a mini-version of the current torch design,” says our spy. “Ballparking it, they should be around $10—less if one can negotiate in Mandarin.” Sale of the torch lighters is technically illegal, because they are not among the products affiliated with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, which favors “medallions in fancy cases.” Meanwhile, Olympic sponsor Lenovo is taking souvenir more literally and selling torch-inspired USB memory sticks (above, at far left).

As for other Olympic memorabilia, much of it is plastered with images of the “fuwa,” the five sprightly mascots (Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini) that may or may not fulfill horibble prophecies and/or portend natural diasters. Notes our culturally astute correspondent, “Incidentally, as Chinese names are rather maleable—these names and the name ‘Auyun’ (the Chinese for Olympics) have been quite popular as new baby names throughout the mainland.” Makes sense to us. What better name for a baby than “Beibei”?

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