Got this from Peter, a possibly drunk Shanghaiist reader in Qingdao: Am I the only one in Shanghai who thinks the EXPO mascot HaiBao looks like Mr. Towelie from South Park? Every time I see a poster in Shanghai I think of Mr Towelie's trademark line "Anybody wanna get high?" What's the verdict, readers? Also on Shanghaiist Shanghai World Expo mascot unveiled! Ack! The Shanghai World Expo mascot is multiplying! We admit it: This photo......

We can see it now. Fast-forward to 2010. An ancient Tibetan god called Gozer arrives atop an apartment building near Xintiandi in Shanghai, where it tells the neighborhood's restaurateurs that the next thing they think of will be the form Gozer will assume to destroy their world. Despite their efforts to clear their minds, Bob Boyce imagines Haibao, the irksome mascot of the 2010 World Expo. As he explains, Haibao "just popped in there" as......

We want some of whatever this guy is smoking: "Haibao is a jolly, confident and cute kid," said Shao Longtu, 62, CEO of the Jiumuchuansheng advertising company and head of the mascot design team. "Using a human being as a mascot reflects the spirit of human-orientation, while the color blue stands for water, sea, the Earth, life, dreams, the future and technology," Shao said. ... "The mascot is a perfect match for the emblem. It......

And ... ummm ... what ... exactly .... is ... that? From Xinhua: The mascot was named Haibao, which literally means "treasure of the world". It is a blue smiling cartoon figure with curly hair and shaped like the Chinese character REN, or human being. Oh. Okay. Another point of view via our Contribute Page: Does anyone else think the 2010 Expo mascot looks like a happy blue condom (complete with reservoir tip)? It does......