Spotted by ICS host Steven Weathers was this poster of Haibao dealing out some street justice to some fake DVDs. In his hand, a real DVD is lifted up to the heavens. Now you know: Haibao gets violent when it comes to pirated movies/software. more ›

Yes, two days of Haibao videos in a row! Don't you feel lucky? This newer one showcases what you can probably expect from the 208 episodes of "Coming Haibao" - kids are playing, something bad happens, Haibao saves the day. more ›

Haibao's tv show is about to start - on April 1 to be exact - so I figured I'd Youku it and see what came up. Well, what came up was this absolutely terrifying music video, which I'm guessing is the theme song for "Coming Haibao" (海宝来了), as Shanghai Daily calls it. Lyrics translated below: more ›

Last May we were introduced to the kookaburra "Peng Peng", Australia’s cheeky mascot for the 2010 World Expo. Shortly after, a whole gaggle of pavillion mascots started popping up: the Francophile feline "Léon", the stinkin "Durian Star" from Singapore, the turd-like “Yabi” from Taiwan, the not-so-gentle Giant “Tai” from (you guessed it) Thailand and everybody’s favorite blue gang “the Smurfs” representing the shared Belgium/ EU pavilion. more ›

When the Expo people first revealed Haibao, we were less than pleased. Then the Australian mascot came along and we thought to ourselves, well at least we're not that obvious. Then the Taiwanese mascot made its appearance and we were thankful that at least Shanghai wasn't being represented by something that looked like crap. Literally. But this new Singaporean mascot? It actually makes us happy that Haibao's ours. more ›

A Shanghai-based English copywriter has discovered some hilarious Chinglish slogans, including a new one for Haibao that explains the Shanghai Expo mascot's consistently happy visage. Since we've previously determined that Haibao is a boy mascot, all we can think of say to his slogan is... "Really? So soon?" more ›

• We've found a mascot uglier than Haibao: Yabi, who represents the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo. And the two of them standing together kind of looks like a turd floating in water. [CRI English]
• Hellooooo sailor, Fleet Week's here - U.S. Coast Guard cutter "Rush" is now throwing its uniformed men onto our shores. [CNN Go]
• Wanna see robot butlers, robot cooks, robot nurses and robot teachers? Check out the China International Industry Fair, which has come to the Shanghai New International Expo Center and lasts until Saturday. [Shanghai Daily]

We don't know how long our city's mascot has been on the subway etiquette beat, but we were absolutely delighted to catch him at the People's Square station this afternoon, waving to people as two Expo volunteers reminded everyone that, on the escalator, the right side is for standing and the left side is for walking. more ›

The Expo 2010 site is hosting an online photography competition whose theme is "Haibao Tour of the World" and its picked some of its favorites amongst the 1,600 or so photos and images of the Gumby-like mascot. more ›

Shanghai has had a history of personality cults that permeate the visual landscape of the city. However, today, Mao’s presence, ubiquitous only 40 years ago, has all but faded —though you can still find some reminders that he was once omnipresent, such as the big statue of the Chairman that continues to stand on the East China Normal University and the kitsch items for sale at Shanghai souvenir stalls (though these are aimed largely at foreigners). Even the pervasive symbols of American consumerism Colonel Sanders’ and Ronald McDonald’s are not as common as they once were—though each of them have some statues as well, standing (the Colonel) or sitting (the clown) near the entrances to venues selling buckets of chicken and Big Macs, respectively. Today, the latest personality to overcome Shanghai's visual landscape is quite different, a symbol of neither Communist Revolution nor capitalist consumer culture. His name is Haibao. more ›

Australia seems to be taking the early bird proverb pretty seriously these days. It became the first foreign pavilion to finish its outer structure last week, and then revealed its own official mascot for the World Expo - a kookaburra! And now it's looking for the Chinese to give the Ozzie representative a name. more ›