From "Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow" to "Green Horse": China’s "Ugly Cute" Cultural Relic Becomes a Global Sensation

Lanzhou, China, 2025—The "Green Horse" plush toy, modeled after Gansu Museum’s Bronze Galloping Horse, has taken the world by storm, turning a 2,000-year-old bronze horse statue into a viral meme. Its "ugly cute" design—with a wide grin and tilted head—resonates with Gen Z, driving its TikTok hashtag to over 500 million views, while its sales on Alibaba International Station surged 210% year-on-year in the first half of 2025.

The museum’s design team explains the choice: "We kept the statue’s iconic awkward posture to retain its authenticity, while softening details to fit plush toy aesthetics." Unlike the elegant cultural and creative products of the Palace Museum, this "ugly cute" style leverages humor for wider spread—overseas users even post videos mimicking the horse’s "lopsided run."

Beyond plush toys, the Bronze Galloping Horse’s popularity has boosted demand for related horse statue home decor.

Love the charm of this cultural icon? Our collection features more than plush toys—explore our horse statue home decor range, from compact sculpture of a horse pieces for shelves to eye-catching bronze horse statues for foyers. We also offer custom dark horse figurines and vintage metal horse statue designs. Order your favorite today and add a touch of Chinese heritage to your space!