Draco Malfoy is now a lucky horse in China — all because of a play on words in his name

Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy has become the unofficial mascot of Chinese New Year, thanks to a play on words in his Chinese name.

This is reported by The Guardian.

Malfoyʼs name is transliterated as mǎ ěr fú. The first character mǎ means "horse" and the last character fú translates as "happiness" or "blessing". Together, this is read as "horse luck" — symbolically coinciding with the Year of the Horse.

Fans and social media users immediately picked up on the idea, with memes, fan art, and stickers featuring Malfoy among traditional holiday decorations. Online stores began selling stickers, magnets, and other decor featuring the character.

Malfoy decor adorns offices and shopping malls. Even Tom Felton, the actor who played Draco, shared on social media that his character has become a symbol of celebration in China.

• Harry Potter is hugely popular in China, with hundreds of millions of books in the series sold there, and the 2020 re-release of the first film grossed more than $13.6 million in three days. Warner Bros Discovery plans to open the largest studio tour, Making Of Harry Potter, in Shanghai in 2027.

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