Panda plushie
The panda is arguably one of the most famous animals in the world. Once widespread in southern and eastern China, as well as Vietnam and Myanmar, it has now become one of the world’s most famous endangered animals, with the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) logo being a panda.
How come humans seem to like pandas so much?
Neuroscientists speculate that their snub noses, generous cheeks and toddling gaits may excite circuitry in our brains normally related to interactions with human infants. Likewise, babies have supersized eyes, and pandas’ trademark black patches make their eyes appear larger by a factor of ten. (Part of a “facial mask” that likely evolved to repel predators, the eye patches seem to have the opposite effect on us.) Pandas are also one of the only animals to have a pseudo-thumb, a flexible wrist bone that allows them to manipulate objects in a cunning manner. They can stand on their hind legs, they like to frolic in the snow—the list goes on. They even somersault.
For the owner of this plushie, it embodies a memory of China: “In China, the panda is also adored and is considered a national treasure 国宝.”
The conservation centre in Chengdu is also a famous attraction for both Chinese and foreign tourists to take a look at living pandas. As a Chinese person abroad, seeing a panda doll in Ikea must make it quite tempting to take home.
Back home, you will have added a nice panda plushie to your house. It is such a cute animal - who would not love a panda plushie in their house? Ikea probably had a similar thought, hence the plushie in their assortiment.
But the appeal of the panda plushie is not limited to Chinese people. Many people have one of these Ikea pandas at home. I own one myself, and I know plenty of friends who picked up this cute panda plushie at Ikea.