The twin pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, have always been loved by the Japanese public. The twins are celebrating their third birthday today (23rd), so what kind of birthday wishes will the Japanese people send to them?
Today (23rd) is the third birthday of “Xiao Xiao” and “Lei Lei”, and the whole Ueno area is filled with the atmosphere of celebrating the pandas’ birthdays. A 20-meter-long poster reading “Happy Pandas” was hung outside a department store. At the entrance to the mall, a window display was set up with the theme of the pandas’ birthdays, and a video of “Xiao Xiao” and “Lei Lei” growing up was shown on a scrolling screen. Pressing the panda’s palm print button in front of the window, the DJ-shaped “Xiao Xiao” and “Lei Lei” dolls will start to play the Happy Birthday song, an interesting interactive experience that attracts many people to come and take photos.
Businesses in the Ueno area are taking advantage of the pandas’ birthday celebrations to offer a wide variety of products. For example, one of the favorite products of many consumers is a senbei, part of the design of which takes “Xiao Xiao” and “Lei Lei” out of the zoo and depicts the two little ones taking pictures at Tokyo Tower and Asakusa Temple, and watching a sumo wrestling match, which is a delightful scene. A box costs about 65 yuan. In addition, the Ueno area offers a wide variety of snacks, stationery, accessories and other merchandise with giant panda elements.
As the first twin pandas born at the Ueno Zoo, “Xiao Xiao” and “Lei Lei” have been popular since their birth in 2021, with some estimates saying that “Xiao Xiao” and “Lei Lei” are the most popular pandas in the world. It has been estimated that “Xiao Xiao” and “Lei Lei” could generate more than 30 billion yen (1.4 billion yuan) in economic benefits in just one year.
