While waiting in line to take the elevator up to the observation deck of Taipei 101, large graphics of these creatures called “damper babies” along the walls immediately caught my eye. I knew by the end of the day, I would have a little damper baby to take home and call my own. After taking in the views on the 89th floor in the indoor observatory, I headed over to the gift shop and sure enough  They were there neatly stacked waiting for me.

So what exactly is a damper baby you ask?

Damper babies are the mascots of Taipei 101 which are based on the huge wind damper suspended in the building which can be seen inside the indoor observatory. The damper weighs 660 metric tons and spans 5.5 meters in diameter making it the largest wind damper in the world. It prevents swaying in the building caused by the wind.

There are 4 different types of damper babies to choose from. I went with “Smart Silver” with its bright and shiny finish partly because it reminded me of  Jeff Koons.

the other damper babies are “Lucky Red “, “Rich Gold”, and “Cool Black”. Their profiles can be found here.

The bodies of the baby dampers are striped resembling the appearance of the actual wind damper. Also if you haven’t noticed, the eyes and mouth of the damper babies  form the number 101! how clevah.

These mascots really are a great way to sell souvenirs.  The gift shop was full of damper baby goods. The little guys even willed me into buying a t-shirt.