The trend represents the difficulties of bearing children and starting a family in China, according to news outlet Radii. - XIAOHONGSHU
BEIJING (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Many “parents” are emerging on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, but they are neither married nor pregnant.
Instead, they are “adoptive parents” to stuffed orangutans from Swedish furnishing giant Ikea, reported Radii, an independent media outlet founded in 2017 that focuses on Chinese youth culture. It currently has over 49,000 followers on Instagram and over 10,000 on Twitter.
At a glance, the toys, which cost S$19.90 each, appear to be cute and cuddly.
“Our (toy) Bob misses his family so we brought him back to the store to take a look,” one post reads.
“His brothers in the store were all adopted, leaving only the ones in a bathtub and a pair of newlyweds in the premises... he was very happy.”
The hashtag #IkeaGorilla, which began appearing on the platform in April, has garnered over 12 million views thus far. The same hashtag has also appeared on other Chinese apps such as Douyin and Weibo.
Besides showcasing the orangutans’ daily “activities”, some users in their 20s and 30s take it further by editing ultrasound pregnancy images to pretend that they are carrying orangutans in their wombs and throwing birthday parties for the stuffed animal.
According to Radii, the trend represents the difficulties of bearing children and starting a family in an economy hampered by rising living costs and long working hours in today’s China.
Stuffed animals, just like traditional pets, are a means to satisfy one’s desire for companionship, the news outlet said.
One meme asks: “Who’s going to take care of you when you’re old if you don’t have children?”
“My monkey child,” it answers.
One user, Butter Bun, said that as an adult, she is grateful that the use of the stuffed toy is trending and she can carry it around without getting judged.
“Who said stuffed toys are only for kids? They are so soft and comfortable to hug (and should be for everyone),” her post reads.
