Stuffed IKEA Toy Becomes Offensive Anti-Government Symbol in Hong Kong

Local stores have sold out of the Lufsig stuffed wolf

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Brent Lewin / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Leung Chun-ying, Hong Kong's chief executive, speaks during a question and answer session in the chamber of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 17, 2013

A stuffed wolf sold by IKEA under the name “Lufsig” has become the latest, unlikely symbol of government dissatisfaction in Hong Kong.

After a protester threw the toy at Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying on Sunday, it has become a social media sensation, and the city’s three IKEA stores have quickly sold out their supplies, Huffington Post reports.

Lufsig’s dedicated Facebook page now has more than 30,000 likes, and even mainstream media have caught up on the hype.

Leung is widely referred to as “The Wolf,” but the toy’s Cantonese name, Lo Mo Sai, is also a homonym for an extremely offensive Cantonese expletive.

In Swedish, Lufsig is a cute adjective form of the verb ‘lumber,’ which seems to fit the sturdy wolf in plaid shirt and suspenders well.

[Huffington Post]