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With the Beijing Winter Olympics well underway, one of the fan favourites to compete at the event is none other than Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu.
While the 27-year-old "Ice Prince's" jaw-dropping manoeuvres on the rink are much anticipated, spectators have also been on the lookout for his Winnie the Pooh tissue box, which he brings along to his competitions.
There has been chatter about whether Hanyu would have his Winnie the Pooh tissue box with him in Beijing, as the discussions of the cartoon character on social media platform Weibo were once banned in China.
It is important to note, however, that the cartoon character is only censored in China when used in political contexts, such as comparisons to the country's president.
Hanyu made it rain Winnie the Pooh dolls
Since 2010, Hanyu has been spotted carrying a tissue box -- figure skaters usually carry a tissue box with them as the skating rinks are cold and they could get runny noses -- branded with the popular cartoon character.
Noticing his fondness for the character, his fanbase -- the "Fanyus" -- began tossing Winnie the Pooh plushies onto the skating rink after his routine.
During the 2018 Winter Olympics, NBC commentator Nick Gannon said it was "raining Winnie the Pooh" after the Japanese skater's short programme.
Yuzuru Hanyu makes it RAIN Winnie-the-Pooh bears. #WinterOlympics https://t.co/fmMl0C4Amf pic.twitter.com/x9tdV0CLPB
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 16, 2018
It is not uncommon for ice skating spectators to toss flowers and gifts onto the rink after figure skaters complete their routines.
So what does Hanyu do with the hundreds of dolls that he received?
According to The Japan Times, he would usually donate all the dolls that he received to the local community.
When Hanyu last competed in China in 2014, spectators also made it rain stuffed toys, after he won the silver medal despite several falls, The Japan Times reported.
There were dozens of Winnie the Pooh bears among the stuffed toys.
Try to spot the Winnie
Meanwhile, a Twitter user posted on Feb. 7 that Hanyu was without his Winnie the Pooh tissue box during practice, though he had one with the same red and yellow colours of the popular cartoon character.
sad that winnie the pooh can’t be here, but at least yuzuru hanyu’s tissue holder has the same colors 🥺 https://t.co/dA3i7Yo8pf
— mai 🌸 梅 (@hellomailee) February 7, 2022
Japanese news outlet Mainichi was also on the lookout for the cartoon character, and shared an image of Hanyu's red and yellow tissue box on Twitter.
Another Twitter user asked for the whereabouts of Hanyu's trusty companion.
#ฮานิว #YuzuruHanyu #Beijing2022
— kuroji (@Hirokiss1379) February 8, 2022
Where is Winnie the Pooh?????
The absence of the Winnie the Pooh tissue box did not go unnoticed among Chinese fans as well.
According to The Japan Times, Hanyu will not be able to bring Winnie the Pooh along to the competition due to an Olympic rule which bans such "mascots" in competition venues.
The scene of fans throwing Winnie the Pooh dolls is also not very likely to be replicated at the Beijing Winter Olympics, as the stadium earlier told fans not to toss gifts and flowers onto the rink due to Covid-19 concerns, CNN reported.
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Top image via @mainichiphoto/Twitter & @1skate48/Twitter
