Haibao and friends - a great cash cow

A certain digital talking mascot is one product making a big noise as sales of Expo merchandise go through the roof, Matt Hodges reports.

Whether he is wearing a sombrero, dressed like a matador or greeting visitors at Pudong International Airport as a metallic robot, Haibao comes in one basic shape but many guises. His latest role, however, is as a cash cow for the Expo Shanghai 2010.

The 35-centimeter version of the cuddly blue toy with the wavelike quiff costs under US$10 and is leading sales within the Expo Garden, said Yang Jian, deputy director of the Sales Management Department at the Expo's Licensed Production Operations Office.