In America, President-elect Donald J. Trump was crowned by Time magazine as the 2016 man of the year. In China, 2016 is known as the year of the rooster. So why not combine the two?
Trump Rooster? That’s right. You can find a giant statue of a Rooster rocking Trump’s signature hairdo and hand gestures gazing upon shoppers outside the Taiyuan mall in China’s Northern Shanxi Province.
Cao Mingliang, deputy director of the planning department from N1 ArtWalk Mall, tells CNN that Trump Rooster was commissioned by the company that owns the mall and will serve as its mascot.
And even though Trump took a few jabs at China’s trade policies during his campaign, Trump Mania “yuge” there.
Cao says there will be a series of smaller items and replicas available in the future. But some are already cashing in. Wei Qing, for example, is selling replica Trump Roosters through his Shenghe Yangtai Business.
“I think the rooster is very cute and funny, Wei told CNN. “The hairstyle and eyebrows look very much like Donald Trump. I’m sure it will attract a lot of customers.”
Trump roosters are now being sold on Taobao, the Chinese e-commerce giant owned by Alibaba. The Trump Rooster replicas are also flying off the shelves of at least four Chinese stores, with price tags ranging from $75 to $1,739. The latter would get you a Trump Rooster standing 32 feet tall.
However, this isn’t the first bird to showcase the former celebrity and real-estate mogul’s look. Last month, China’s state-run People’s Daily tweeted a photo of a bird with the iconic hairdo.
But perhaps the giant statue is a fine way to send off a man who defined popular culture in 2016 – for better or for worse. In fact, Trump memorabilia has been selling since he announced his run for presidency. T-shirts, bobble-heads, hats, flags, and even Christmas ornaments have all adorned his image and slogans. Even when his rival Hillary Clinton denounced his supporters as “A Basket of Deplorable,” people began to rake in cash selling Trump memorabilia with “Deplorable” on it.
