Horse-themed toys drive festive sales boom in China as new zodiac year approaches

Toys inspired by the 2026 zodiac horse are galloping off shelves ahead of the Spring Festival, China's most important holiday, fueling a surge in consumer spending and factory production.

A mis-stitched Year of the Horse plushie has become a viral sensation in China's Yiwu, a city known as "the world's supermarket."

Designed with a happy grin, the toy was unexpectedly stitched with a frown instead. The imperfect little horse is now winning hearts online, driving sales.

The surge in online popularity triggered a manufacturing boom. The factory rapidly scaled up operations, expanding its production lines from two to more than a dozen to meet soaring demand. Daily output now exceeds 15,000 units to keep up with the orders.

In Yangzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, manufacturers are operating at full capacity to meet surging demand for zodiac horse toys ahead of the Spring Festival.

In Chinese culture, the horse is a potent symbol of vitality, strength, and success. Often associated with the idiom "Ma Dao Cheng Gong" -- meaning "instant success upon the arrival of the horse" -- the animal represents an unyielding spirit and rapid progress. Horses have long been treasured for their role in transportation and prosperity, and they are still a favorite zodiac sign today, viewed as a harbinger of energy and progress in the new year.

"This is our new product, 'Five Horses Bringing Blessings.' The five-colored ponies symbolize fortune, prosperity, longevity, joy, and wealth. We have already received orders for 200,000 sets, which must be delivered before the Spring Festival. Our factory is currently operating overtime to meet this surge in demand and ensure timely delivery," said Zhu Lian, head of domestic sales for a toy producer in Yiwu.

To fulfill the surge in orders, another local manufacturer has its entire workforce of over 100 employees operating at full capacity. The company's manager reported that pre-Spring Festival orders have more than doubled compared to the same period last year.

"We have noticed that products for the upcoming Year of the Horse are selling significantly better than in previous years, which has kept our warehouse busy with nonstop packing and shipping," said Tang Lili, manager of a local plush toy company.

The Year of the Horse will begin on Feb. 17, 2026, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. 

Horse-themed toys drive festive sales boom in China as new zodiac year approaches

Enterprises from the United States are welcome to seize the development opportunities in China and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with the country, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said in Beijing on Sunday.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with a delegation of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC).

Noting that China-U.S. ties are the world's most important bilateral relations, He said it is hoped that the USCBC will continue to play its role as a bridge to promote friendly exchanges and the steady and healthy development of economic and trade relations between China and the United States.

It is also hoped that U.S. enterprises can fully seize the development opportunities in China, make good use of the potential of the Chinese market, and inject more stability and positive energy into China-U.S. economic and trade relations, He added.

Rajesh Subramaniam, board chair of the USCBC, Sean Stein, president of the USCBC, and other members from the delegation noted that the U.S. business sector is optimistic about China's economic development prospects. They expressed the willingness to further explore the Chinese market, play an active role, and continuously deepen the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

U.S. enterprises are welcome to seize development opportunities in China: vice premier