The Fuwa (Chinese: 福娃; pinyin: Fúwá;
literally Good-luck dolls) are the mascots of the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing. They were announced by the National Society of
Chinese Classic Literature Studies on November 11, 2005 at an event
marking the 1000th day before the opening of the games.
The Fuwa consists of five members: Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan,
Yingying, and Nini. Each of the five names is designed to look like a
plausible name for a small child, but when put together, they sound
nearly identical to the phrase 北京欢迎你 Běijīng huānyíng nǐ which means
Beijing welcomes you. Each of the five figures also represents one of
the five Olympic Rings.
