Official mascot Bing Dwen Dwen of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 Photos: IC

"I am so excited!" The super Japanese fan of Bing Dwen Dwen, the panda-shaped mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Gido Tsujioka, got a special gift from Cao Xue, head of the Beijing 2022 mascot design team, a cartoon of himself and Bing Dwen Dwen during his online talk with Cao on Tuesday. 

For the past week, Tsujioka, an announcer from Japan's NTV, has become a hit on Chinese social media for his love of Bing Dwen Dwen and earned himself a new name "Gido Dwen Dwen" after a sequence of videos of Tsujioka went viral on Chinese social media, which showed how Tsujioka, during live news, "showed off" his collection of Bing Dwen Dwen badges, met Bing Dwen Dwen and excitedly promoted Bing Dwen Dwen to the Japanese audience.

Having a conversation with Bing Dwen Dwen's designer is one of Tsujioka's wishes, he said in an interview with the Global Times last week. And with the coordination of the Global Times, his wish came true on Tuesday. 

During the conversation, Cao unveiled many details on how Bing Dwen Dwen had been designed, including that it is from the image of a panda cub and how they kept confidentiality during designing. 

He said that Bing Dwen Dwen is a panda cub inside an ice shell stylized as a sports helmet, making the animal appear more athletic. The idea of a series of colored floating lines around its head resembling tracks on an ice rink came from the National Speed Skating Oval, known as the "Ice Ribbon."

Also, resembling an astronaut in a space suit, Bing Dwen Dwen is designed to be a winter sports expert coming from the future, representing a perfect blend of winter sports and modern technology. The ice shell also leaves space for various future designs.

Having the opportunity to learn how Bing Dwen Dwen had been created made Tsujioka excited and during the conversation, he was amazed by stories behind the cute mascot and asked many questions. 

Gido Tsujioka, an announcer from Japan's NTV, has an online talk with Cao Xue, head of the Beijing 2022 mascot design team on Tuesday. Photos: Courtesy of Wang Tao

In response to whether other animals had been taken into consideration when designing the mascot, Cao said that the team had tried a Siberian tiger, elk and other animals but finally chose a panda as it has earned love globally. And to make the image of Bing Dwen Dwen cuter, they made the eyes, nose and mouth more centralized. 

To exchange details of the design and maintain confidentiality, Cao and his team flew back and forth between Guangzhou and Beijing 21 times in seven months. 

"We designers are not athletes, but by joining the designing of the mascot, we felt the spirit of an athlete!"

At the end of the online conversation with Cao, Tsujioka asked Cao whether he can draw a cartoon with him and Bing Dwen Dwen when it is convenient. Without any hesitation, Cao agreed and finished the drawing on site. In minutes, the image of Tsujioka appeared with a big smile on his face and holding Bing Dwen Dwen in his hand and bearing excitement. 

"Tsujioka said he was touched by Bing Dwen Dwen, and we are touched by his love for Bing Dwen Dwen… this is also what we want to convey by designing Bing Dwen Dwen - to share love and happiness and the spirit of the Olympics with more people," Cao told the Global Times after his talk with Tsujioka. Seeing Tsujioka and so many people like his design of Bing Dwen Dwen makes him feel happy and excited. 

Sales of Bing Dwen Dwen have surged not only in China but overseas. For example, on a Japanese second-hand trading website, Bing Dwen Dwens have either been marked up or sold out.

"I have received countless messages, asking me to bring Bing Dwen Dwen back to Japan," Tsujioka said.