Sharon Reich-Garson

One customer even tried to return it.

But then Zhang started seeing photos of the sad little horse spreading online.

And once it caught on, demand exploded.

Young office workers say the horse's exhausted expression mirrors how they feel after long hours and heavy workloads.

And it taps into China's love of ugly, cute collectibles.

And with this Lunar New Year ushering in the Year of the Horse, this accidentally melancholy mascot is one of the holiday's hottest sellers.

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Hi, I'm your weekend host, Sharon Reich-Garson.

It's Saturday, January 24th.

Today, winter storm Fern barrels across the U.S., putting two-thirds of the country under its icy grip and 14 states on alert.

In Minnesota, thousands brave negative temperatures to take part in an ice-out protest.

Plus, heat cuts hit Kiev as high-stakes talks in Abu Dhabi show no movement.

This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week.

Winter storm Fern is spreading snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., with government warnings stretching from the southern Rockies to New England.

At least 14 states and D.C.

have declared weather emergencies.

Forecasters say the setup echoes the 2021 ice storm in Texas, which brought widespread outages, though officials say they're preparing systems now.