The Universiade mascot, Bruin the Bear, gains immense popularity as Taipei’s top city tourism ambassador

By MOOK Scenic Spots / Chen Wenlin, compiled and reported
 
The highly popular Universiade mascot, Bruin the Bear, not only saw a surge in popularity and sparked a craze during the Games but also boosted Taipei’s tourism appeal, becoming the best ambassador for the city’s major attractions. Bruin’s merchandise further fueled a buying frenzy, with both Taiwanese citizens and foreign athletes scrambling to take photos with the Bruin plush toy, and even world champion badminton player Tai Tzu-ying liked the Bruin doll more than the gold medal.

After the closing ceremony of the Universiade yesterday, in the evening, Bruin also expressed gratitude for everyone’s past companionship and support on the official fan page, posting a photo of himself waving goodbye, signaling that he was about to be “unemployed,” which moved Facebook users who left comments begging him not to leave.

Bruin is a mascot created and managed by Taipei City’s Department of Information and Tourism. Director Tang Yasheng of the department put a lot of effort into both the Universiade and Bruin, determined to make Taiwan shine on the world stage—and the effort paid off with commendable results, while also boosting Taiwan’s tourism.

Since its establishment in December 2015, the Bruin team has been preparing for the Universiade. Starting last year, they actively assisted Taipei City in promoting the event, traveling to all major tourist spots across the city to become its top tourism ambassador, guiding international athletes to follow in Bruin’s footsteps and visit Taipei’s renowned sites, including Taipei 101 and the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, successfully promoting Taiwan and achieving outstanding results.