An animal lover looking for some companionship might be inclined to look for a cat or dog. But perhaps they are barking up the wrong tree.
In a recent Chinese social media trend, several people have taken to raising mango pits as their pets instead.
The owners say the process of raising their ‘pets’ has a therapeutic effect, something they find a-peel-ing.
While certainly strange, many fans have backed owners raising these newfangled pets.
The key to the mango pets lies in the fruit’s pit, which is long and flat. Mango pits are hairy, something which is not usually noticeable due to the mango pulp sticking to it.
Source: @k0pinions on TikTok
Despite what it may seem, ‘raising’ the pit takes a grape deal of time and effort.
The owner must wash the pulp from the pit, then groom it with a toothbrush or something similar to remove the yellow colour of the fruit from the hairs.
Source: 吃货八姐 on Xiaohongshu
In addition, owners can use a hair dryer to dry the hairs to avoid sticking as well as to make them fluffier.
The mango pit is then exposed to sunlight to prevent mould from growing.
The result is a small cute fluffy lump that looks like a flat hamster if you squint.
Source: 吃货八姐 on Xiaohongshu
Ms Liu, one of these owners, has two mango pits, named ‘Da Mao’ and ‘Er Mao’, or Furry 1 and Furry 2.
She has created a ‘mango pit diary’ on social media site Xiaohongshu, where she documents the ‘growth’ of her pets.
The diary has attracted much attention from Chinese netizens, surprising her.
Ms Liu had only done it for fun at first, but now feels it is a mangonificent hobby.
Many online were confused by the trend. Some responded with mockery, deriding Gen Z folks for what appears to be a “hopeless” trend.
Source: Facebook
Others defended the fad and found the “pets” cute,
Source: Tiktok
Another commented that people should let others enjoy things they find fun, calling the pets “Brad Pit” and Mangolina Jolie”.
One pointed out that having such pets was better than lonely students neglecting or abusing live pets.
Source: Facebook
The inanimate object pets trend is scarcely orange-inal. The infamous ‘Pet Rock’ was so popular that it made its inventor a millionaire.
Just last year, Chinese university students created cardboard dogs for companionship, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Maybe you can pit yourself against other mango pit owners and raise one yourself.
Who knows, it might be berry fun!
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Featured image adapted from Xiaohongshu and Becky Mattson on Unsplash.
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