Accidental 'crying horse' toy wins hearts in China
Reuters Videos
Mon, January 26, 2026 at 2:55 AM EST
STORY: At Yiwu International Trade City, China’s largest wholesale market, customers are crowding one small shop.
They are looking for a soft toy popularly known as the "crying horse."
Shop owner Zhang Huoqing said the plushie was originally designed as a happy-faced Lunar New Year decoration.
But a manufacturing mistake turned its smile into a frown, and created a viral hit.
"The 'crying horse' came about because a worker sewed its mouth upside down by mistake. After that, my customer's customer said they wanted to return it because the mouth was upside down. At that time, I didn't say anything and didn't think much about it. I just said, ‘Then send it back to me.’ But later they said, ‘No, no need to return it.’”
Not long after, Zhang discovered photos of the toy circulating online.
It has gone viral ahead of the Spring Festival holiday, which this year marks the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.
Some young white-collar workers in China say the plush pony's dour expression mirrors their long hours and workplace stress.
Zhang said people joked that the crying horse is how you look at work, while the smiling one is how you look after work.
By afternoon, stacks of the sad steed had sold out, with staff rushing to restock.
As demand surges, Zhang has decided to keep making and selling her surprise hit:
"A lot of customers like it, and they said it makes sense: that it suits the spirit of today's corporate slaves. Many customers liked it, and then it started selling very well. So we just kept producing them. Right now it's pretty good, sales are quite good."
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