The Expo is over! How strange does it feel that this event, which we've all been hearing nonstop about over the last two or three years has now finally drawn to an end. With the deconstructing of Expo grounds on the horizon, we've got so many questions: How will the Shanghai government justify its public work projects now? Does this mean the “Better City, Better Life” slogan can now be retired? What will happen to all the Haibaos still plastered around the city? more ›

Another bright piece of news about the end of the World Expo, security checks in subway stations to continue harassing and delaying commuters with metal detectors and security wands. According to The Global Times, the scanners stopped nearly 10,000 cases of fake Expo products from being smuggled. Considering the elimination of counterfeit Haibao toys as protecting the public from evildoers, metro authorities will continue creating traffic jams at entrance ways around the city. At least, trains will still operate on expo hours, running as late as 10:30PM! more ›

Why did a bunch of pregnant ladies get together to paint Haibao on their bellies? To win a Pregnant Woman Fashion show at the 5th Body Painting Exhibition on Hainan Island. This year's theme was "Lucky 'Pregnant' International Tourist Island respondes to the Shanghai World Expo," which is why each and everyone of these pre-borns got the Haibao treatment. more ›

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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 ›

CNNGo has a article detailing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the Expo over the weekend, of which I've picked the three little factoids I find the most funny. Like most things on this site that are USA Pavilion related, the type of funny they are leans towards that cringe-inducing Curb Your Enthusiasm-esque type of funny. more ›

Is this just a case of Shanzhai Haibao #FAIL? more ›

Many of us here at Shanghaiist were so-called "kids of the 80s." So, it should come as no surprise that we were among the thousands for whom that decade's most famous slab of clay has come to mind in the time Haibao has existed. Whether or not the coincidence is intentional or accidental is a moot point anyway: Gumby is green. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the mascot of Xinxiang Haibao Electrical Appliance Company: not only is he blue, but he also wears a cape, much like nü-Haibao does in the videos where he patrols Shanghai's streets for fakes, weapons and all things evil. Thankfully, the company reports it has "never had so much free publicity" - and after all, isn't public interest what branding is meant to generate anyway? more ›

Haibao has given people a really bad headache. I'm not even talking about his image, just his design. Haibao's original two-dimensional design has created a really difficult problem for those tasked with making him three dimensional: what should his backside look like? Does he have a tail? Does he have a butt? Does he have a buttcrack? These are all unknown. That's why we can see towering Haibao statues whose fronts are all the same, but whose backsides, you will discover, may or may not have buttcracks. But recently, there are more without buttcracks because the buttcracks have already announced that they're leaving China [Note: "Buttcrack" sounds similar to Google in Chinese]. more ›

Who woulda thought - the big hubbub over the Expo song which sounded like a Japanese pop ditty from the 1990s has caused it to be withdrawn. Officials of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination confirmed that it had suspended "2010 Waits for You" "for caution's sake" until they have had an investigation. They also stressed that it was just a promotional lead up song and not the theme song, as some people believed. No word on whether they'll be investigating Haibao's strange similarity to Gumby though. more ›

We've long known about how some intrepid American cartoonists went back in time to 1956 and created that blatant Haibao rip off, Gumby (you can't fool us with the different coloring, blasted Americans!)... but now we find out that the Japanese had their own time machine as well - China Smack has discovered how this shameless Japanese pop star copied our Expo theme song in 1997! 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 ›

Given that the Shanghai Expo is supposed to represent the future, it was only a matter of time before we were inundated with robots. Shanghai has kindly delivered robots, and not just any robots: Haibao robots! more ›

With the billions upon billions of dollars being poured into the upcoming Shanghai World Expo, Shanghai is gearing up for a glitzy and glamorous time under the international spotlight. Of course, it's going to be a costly experience: while 160 RMB for a ticket is a palatable expense for the droves of tourists who will visit the expo, it's a pretty pricey expenditure for the average citizen. So how will the faithful residents of our fair city be able to take part in the "better city, better life" experience? more ›

So Haibao's been taking some dance lessons, and it looks like he's learned a lot. I mean, look at him: the precocious little guy's even figured out how to breakdance. The video above is originally from the Expo's website, and bears the awkward name of "Haibao Hip Hop 1." But the two step isn't all he's learned: he's added flying handspins and disco-esque splits to his repertoire, not to mention flying! more ›

Those watching the 2010 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California may have noticed a fun little shout out. Our city (and its upcoming Expo) somehow made their way into the hours long spectacle, sandwiched between a Barnum & Bailey's themed marching of Scripps Miramar Saddlebred horses and the Pickerington Central Marching Tigers marching band (who was in the Macy's Day Parade as well). more ›

So while we were busy drinking it up in celebration of the New Year, the industrious Shanghai Expo people finally released the English version of their Expo site, complete with an English-speaking Haibao. And guess what? Our little blue toothpaste squeeze talks in a high pitched, clipped British accent. more ›

Matt Mayer is a British web and mobile developer for ReignDesign who has lived in Shanghai for 4 years. He is the man behind ExploreShanghai, the No. 1 online Shanghai metro map which is also now available as an iPhone app. more ›

Oh my: apparently China is very concerned over the illegal and improper use of licensed emblems for the Shanghai Expo. In fact, they're so concerned about intellectual property theft that they decided to have a mini expo about it. And you can go too! 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 ›

In our ongoing Threesday feature, Shanghaiist takes the time to count out three of well... whatever catches their fancy that week. This week: Shanghai-themed costumes we'd be super psyched to see gracing our Halloween party on Saturday. more ›

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 ›

Halloween is Shanghaiist's favorite holiday, by far. And with the spooky season approaching, we spend a lot of time thinking about whether Chinese vampires are more zombie than vampire, the mortifying merits of American style haunted houses and, of course, our annual halloween party. And like always, we're going to hold it down like a rickety door during a zombie attack. more ›

Haibao, everybody's favorite blue thingamajiggy that somehow represents the Expo, has gained a back story and guess what? He's ~*magic*~! more ›

We think the pictures speaks for itself, but in case you have trouble recognizing this triple threat of Chinese celebrity, that's Lang Lang playing air piano, Jackie Chan giving you the thumbs up and Yao Ming towering above them with a slightly deflated looking Haibao perched on his shoulder. Oh wait, maybe that makes this a fearsome foursome? more ›

The folks at ChinaTravel.net noticed a little (or perhaps not so little) something about a recent image of Haibao: more ›

Tickets for the World Expo officially went on sale at 9am yesterday and already, peak-day tickets (tickets for the first three days and for the National Day holidays) had completely sold out. 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 ›