Regular Price 590,000 KRW... Everland Panda Card Discount
Realistic Reproduction Including Feedback from Keeper Gang Cheolwon
A giant panda Puba doll is causing a sensation by being sold for 590,000 KRW at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. Recently, news about new Puba merchandise sold at Everland was posted on an online community. This product is a doll made by Panda Factory in China, modeled after Puba at 6 months old, and is officially imported and sold at Everland's Panda World Shop.
The price of the '6-month-old Puba doll' is 590,000 KRW. It weighs about 3.3 kg and is handmade rather than mass-produced in a factory. The company explained that they faithfully reproduced Puba’s head shape, horn fur, and even the Nurungji-colored fur. The doll’s fur is made of wool, and fur care tools are also included with the product.
Netizens have mixed reactions to the excessively high-priced merchandise. Comments included, "The price is inevitable considering it is handmade and includes customs duties," "Most handmade dolls are expensive, so the price is understandable," "The fur quality is really different when you see it in person," and "Buying directly from China would be more expensive due to taxes, so it’s actually cheaper to buy the officially imported product." On the other hand, some netizens commented, "Is there an extra zero in the price?" "The doll is cute, but the price is not," "It’s not even made from Puba’s fur, so why that price?" and "Is there really someone who buys that?"
The price of the "6-month-old Pubao doll" is 590,000 won. It weighs approximately 3.3 kg and was handmade rather than mass-produced in a factory. The company explains that they faithfully replicated Pubao's head shape, horn fur, and even the color of the fur, which resembles scorched rice. The doll's fur is made of wool, and fur care tools are also included with the product. [Photo by Online Community]
At Everland Zoo’s 'Zootopia Cafe,' reviews from buyers of this Puba doll have been posted. One buyer said, "It’s much heavier and bulkier than I expected," and "The detail is amazing, probably because it’s handmade one by one. It expresses Puba’s signature white sclera, and when you stroke the claws made of silicone and the wool fur, you even think, ‘Would real panda fur feel like this?’"
Zookeeper Kang Cheol-won holding the 'Fubao 6 Months' doll made by Panda Factory, a Chinese panda doll manufacturer. [Photo by Panda Factory Instagram]
Earlier, Panda Factory shared the Puba doll production process through their official Instagram in April, saying, "We gave the initial sample to Keeper Kang Halbuji (Kang Cheol-won) and received valuable feedback," and "We are making Puba 2.0 modifications. We are working hard to develop a doll that everyone will be satisfied with." The video released at that time showed scenes comparing and analyzing the fur color of the Puba 1.0 doll and photos of Puba. It also included a photo of Keeper Kang holding the Puba doll.
Meanwhile, Puba was born on July 20, 2020, as the first natural birth in Korea between giant pandas ‘Lubao (樂寶, meaning “Treasure that brings joy”)’ and ‘Aibao (愛寶, meaning “Lovely treasure”),’ who were sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March 2016 as a symbol of Korea-China friendship. Puba lived at Everland for about 3 years and 6 months, enjoying syndrome-level popularity. According to the ‘Giant Panda Conservation Research Agreement,’ Puba had to move to China before turning 4 years old, so he left Korea on April 3, 1354 days after birth. On the 20th, he celebrated his first birthday in China and his 4th birthday.
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