3,500 Chinese Babies Named “Olympics”

There has been a lot of crazy stuff going on in China in anticipation for the 2008 Olympics. None quite so strange as this story.

Nearly 3,500 children, since the year 2000, have been named after the 2008 Olympics.

3,500 were named “Aoyun”, meaning Olympics, in 2000 when the bid first came up to have the Olympics in China.

Additionally, more than 4,000 people have been named after the “Five Friendlies.” The Five Friendlies are 5 different animated characters that play in Chinese Olympics commercials.

The names are Bei Bei (880 people), Jing Jing (1,240), Huan Huan (1,063), Ying Ying (624) and Ni Ni (642). When put together, the phrase translates to “Beijing welcomes you!”

Five Friendlies Commercial:

(AP)