Crying Horse: how a soft toy has become the official icon of youth burnout in China

A stuffed toy in the shape of a horse with a sad face has gone from being a manufacturing accident to a viral phenomenon.

Originally designed as a cheerful charm to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2026, which marks the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac in February, the Crying Horse was conceived to convey happiness and good fortune. Its red coat—a traditional symbol of luck in China—its golden bell hanging from its neck, and the phrase ‘money comes quickly’ embroidered on its back were all part of this positive message.

But something went wrong: they sewed its mouth upside down. A simple human error turned a smile into a grimace that many interpreted as crying. What at first seemed like a manufacturing defect—so much so that the shop owner offered to refund the original customer who bought it—quickly became an unexpected cultural symbol when images began circulating on social media.

The transformation was instantaneous: what should have been a cheerful festive charm became known as the ‘crying horse’ and became the unofficial mascot of the zodiac year. Within hours, images of the soft toy flooded Weibo, China‘s leading social network, and reached over 100 million views. In addition to finding humour in the irony, the public identified the little horse as a representation of their own lives: long working hours, constant pressure and the struggle to keep smiling when reality demands more.