Teddy tempts tourists

In the newly opened Emsphere shopping mall, a fashion landmark in Bangkok, long lines form in front of a Thai dessert shop during the weekend.

The crowd consists mainly of excited tourists, many of them obsessed not with the cakes or cookies on sale but with a 30-second opportunity to take selfies with a furry doll known as Butterbear.

Fans of the bear, mostly young travelers from China and South Korea, come from afar with a must-do list and photos with the mascot, whose popularity is likened to a pop star.

"Butterbear is one of the Thai top streamers on Chinese social media. She is super cute. A selfie with her will definitely attract comments and likes on the internet," said Wu Qian from Chongqing in Southwest China. She visited Bangkok with her boyfriend in early July.

The couple planned their trip to Thailand to coincide with the bear's "picture time", which is limited to weekend afternoons. Every customer is allowed to have just 30 seconds for a photo with the character and the lines usually stretch about two hours.

The major Thai confectionery brand is also reaping the rewards of the bear's popularity, with brisk sales of its products in Bangkok and upcoming shops in China set to offer various items extending to merchandise such as bags and cups with the mascot's image.

Butterbear began drawing attention in May and has about 430,000 followers on Instagram. On Chinese lifestyle app Xiaohongshu and short video platform TikTok, it has attracted nearly 1 million followers in total.

The "cute factor" behind the brand's bear is just one part of its ability to become a viral hit on social media and captivate wide audiences.