The 21-year-old from central Jiangxi province bought the Indonesian pit viper for 1,850 yuan ($260) two days after the release of Disney’s animated hit “Zootopia 2” on November 26. Qi’s favorite character was also the franchise’s newest: Gary De’Snake, believed to be inspired by the Southeast Asian serpent.

Zootopia 2 sparks a dangerous trend in China as fans buy venomous pit vipers, proving pop culture’s influence can quickly turn risky.

A scaly new character from Disney’s Zootopia 2 has sparked an unexpected and potentially dangerous trend in China, with young fans buying real venomous snakes resembling the film’s breakout reptile. The blue snake character Gary De’Snake has become a fan favorite following the film’s release in late November,

Disney's Zootopia 2 is a global hit, especially in China where it has sparked an unusual trend among young people - buying venomous blue pit vipers as pets.

Disney's Zootopia 2 became the highest-grossing animated foreign film ever in China, despite generally muted interest in overseas movies in the country.

Zootopia 2 has reached $1,136.7M global, including $877.7M from the international box office; this surpasses the total of Zootopia globally & overseas

It has also been reported that Avatar 3 remains far behind Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which clocked $11.6 million, and Zootopia 2, which amassed $13.4 million in four-day pre-sales cumes. 119k screenings are already open for bookings on day 4 of pre-sales and are only under Zootopia 2’s 135k.

Disney's late-November release, Zootopia 2, hasn't just been a smashing success at the box office; it's becoming a movement. Fans of the beloved original film have flocked to movie theaters worldwide to watch the year's most popular movie.

Gary made reptiles feel lovable in China, but venom and online hype turned a cute character into a risky, real-world trend fast!!! The post How Zootopia 2’s Gary Turned Into an Unexpected (and Risky) Pet Trend Among Chinese Teens appeared first on Modern Teen.