Kicker: Crying is the new cute

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NICK EICHER, HOST: “Straight from the horse’s mouth” that's supposed to mean information you can trust.

But what happens when the horse’s mouth is stitched on upside down?

As it turns out—you get a viral hit, that's what. 

A toymaker in China was shipping merchandise ahead of Chinese New Year—the Year of the Horse, just a couple of weeks away—aiming for a cheerful plush mascot.

Instead, workers stitched the mouths on upside down, turning smiling horses into mournful mares.

The audio here from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

AUDIO: This crying horse really suits the reality of modern working people.

Yeah, and young buyers snapped them up. But not everyone understood the appeal.

AUDIO: People my age don’t like it, though young people do. During New Year, you’re supposed to do something auspicious, but a big drooping mouth like this?

Okay, not so fast: You may not want to turn that frown upside down, because judging by the sales figures, it’s all smiles.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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