A unique phenomenon that has been observed since the end of 2013 is the image of money on the back of a toy horse followed by the pun 马上有钱 (ma shang you qian) which literally translates to either “on top of a horse is money” or “money comes immediately”. This has become quite a phenomenon, being originated online and spreading like wildfire. It has sparked a trend not only online, but has spread to popular culture and is even being capitalized commercially in advertisements.

The phenomenon originated online at the end of 2013, when netizens, with the Year of the Horse quickly approaching, began sharing images of toy plush horses with whatever amount of money they wished to display on top. It started out as a simple game, and soon more and more netizens, with over 1.8 million, began to compete and out-do others. The first photos began with just one yuan notes and increased to one hundred yuan notes. Eventually, images of stacks of money and other objects began to spread.

This fun pun, 马上有钱 (ma shang you qian), has some meaning to it. The Year of the Horse symbolizes a more prosperous year to come, and money in Chinese culture, is a universal sign of prosperity. In combination with the Year of the Horse, saying this fun pun offers a way to wish for “immediate money” that is a sign for immediate success.

Images of the toy plush horse with money on top has quickly become an online trend, especially with users who share images on their microblogs like Weibo and WeChat. Just a quick browse online and you can view fun images of toy cars, wads of cash, and just about anything expensive on the top of toy horses.

Just like any popular craze, advertisers have cashed in on this phenomenon by capitalizing on the timing of Chinese New Year and the popularity of this image to advertise for Chinese New Year products and services. Anyone in China during the beginning of 2014 have certainly noticed these images and may have wondered where this all began. 马上有钱 (ma shang you qian) may very well be the most aggressively-used advertisement campaign for the 2014 Chinese New Year. Top name brands and retailers alike have used these images and slogans to advertise once-in-a-year sales promotions and products.