The 2018 Winter Olympics have been full of characters.
Red Gerard. North Korean cheerleaders. A fake Kim Jong Un. Winnie the Pooh.
Wait, Winnie the Pooh? Oh yes.
When Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu went off for the second highest-ever Olympic figure skating score during his Pyeongchang debut on Thursday, fans hurled dozens of stuffed Pooh Bears onto the ice, coating the rink with Disney flavor.
But the massive collection of Winnie the Poohs wasn't random. (Sorry, but everyone in the stands didn't just so happen to swing by Toys"R"Us at the same time -- "Hey, you too?") No, the Pooh throwing was actually a tribute to Hanyu himself, who has a special connection to the 50-year-old bear.
As Time reported, Hanyu fans could very well double as "Poohs," and the 23-year-old skater often relies on the character for good fortune on competition days:
Hanyu is never without his Winnie the Pooh teddy bear tissue dispenser. He's known to hug his rink-side companion for good luck just before getting on the ice, and to bring the cartoon character along to interviews. Pooh Bears have become a mascot for Hanyu's besotted fans who sport Pooh ears and throw Pooh plushies onto the rink after his routines.
@HanyusPooh even has its own Twitter account. And, as documented via fan tweets, Pyeongchang certainly wasn't the first time Hanyu made a public show of his affection for the Pooh Bear: