The popularity of the “Oh, Bear” (喔熊) stickers on the messaging app Line has prompted the Tourism Bureau to expand the tourism campaign by including the sale of related theme products.
The “Oh, Bear” character was inspired by Formosan Black Bears, which are endemic to Taiwan.
According to the bureau, “Oh, Bear” is a Sagittarius male bear who is 1.7m tall.
Photo: CNA
His favorite Taiwanese food is braised pork with rice and eggs cooked in soy sauce. His favorite beverage is pearl milk tea.
The bureau launched the stickers featuring “Oh, Bear” on the social-messaging app on Dec. 3 last year.
Within only one month, the stickers had been downloaded 5.43 million times.
As of May 1, the stickers had been used 32.85 million times, bureau officials said.
The bureau yesterday said that “Oh, Bear” had accomplished his task online and “passed the trial period,” adding that he would start promoting Taiwan’s tourism sector in the real world.
Aside from joining travel fairs around the world, bureau officials said “Oh, Bear” would make an appearance at flash mob events.
The bureau also plans to launch theme products and compose a song and a dance featuring the bear, officials said.
To allow fans to track its whereabouts, the bureau has set up a Web site (http://taiwan.net.tw/ohbear) displaying the bear’s event calendar.
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