For most people, winning the lottery is such an exciting event that the last thing they’re thinking about is concealing their identity. However, some past winners likely wish they were able to remain anonymous after their headline-making win. They should have taken a note from China, where officials actually encourage winners to conceal their identity to protect them from the public. This has led to winners donning some pretty clever costumes when collecting their jackpots, a kind of tradition that has been going on for at least two decades. In this article, we’re counting down the Top 10 Best Chinese lottery winner costumes.
10. Lucky Transformers
This duo of winners showed up to collect their cheque wearing some iconic masks. While the disguise certainly helped to conceal their identities, we don’t think it gave them any transforming powers. Joking aside, the masks and costumes winners wear are for more than entertainment. With prizes into the tens of millions, winners’ lives can be seriously turned upside down by the notoriety, so even though some of the more outlandish choices certainly get a laugh, the costumes are mostly thought to be a “street smart” choice by Chinese citizens.
9. Spider-Man
Like the person in the previous entry, this winner decided to put on a familiar face when he went to collect his prize. This lucky man picked up his cheque, posed for pictures, and even stopped to answer questions all while wearing a special Spider-Man mask.
8. The Year of the Horse
This jackpot winner decided to take a more topical approach to his costume. At the end of 2014, the year of the horse in Chinese tradition, one lucky man from central Wuhan city showed up to a press conference wearing a horse mask. As if the mask wasn’t enough to conceal his identity, the man also asked people at the event for plastic bags to cover his shoes. The shoes were a gift, and he didn’t want them ruining his disguise. He went so far as to ask photographers to delete all pictures of his shoes. He left the media event US $44 million richer and was dubbed “Mr. Money” by news outlets. Like many other winners, he told media that he planned to spend at least $3.3 million on charity.
7.Monkey King
Here’s another winner who decided to follow Chinese tradition. In 2011, this man from the southwestern city of Chongqing won big by playing the China Sports lottery. He showed up wearing a mask of the Monkey King from traditional mythology and pledged to give some of his $27.3 million jackpot to charity. The Monkey King of legend is known for his immortality, strength, and speed. Though this lucky lottery winner didn’t develop any of those supernatural abilities, he was probably feeling a little invincible that day.
6. Mr. Incognito
This jackpot winner wasn’t taking any chances when he showed up to collect his prize. He showed up wearing a mask, wig, sunglasses, and a hat, and we can’t say we blame him. His $11.76 million jackpot was the largest prize awarded for the sports lottery at that time. Though he arrived at the lottery centre alone, the Chongqing lotto officials arranged for security and other precautions for his safety. They even arranged to guide the man, who called him Lao Yang, through a hidden passage to protect his identity. The local bank and police were also informed of his arrival. Lao Yang must’ve thought the security detail was a good idea because he asked them to accompany him to the bank to deposit his cheque. His disguise seems to suit his personality, as this secretive man hadn’t even told his wife about the big win.
5. Mickey Mouse
In October 2014, Mickey Mouse added a little more to his fortune. Except this Mickey Mouse isn’t associated with the Disney empire, he’s simply a lucky Chinese lottery winner. When picking up his prize, Mickey wasn’t content to only hide his face; he also used a voice changer to add to the layers of disguise. The lucky winner took home almost $80 million and graciously donated a large chunk of that to charity.
4. Big Hero 6 Baymax
You might not recognize Baymax by name, but you probably do by sight. This lottery winner dressed up as the main character from the animated movie Big Hero 6 when he went to collect his prize of almost $27 million. He told media that he wasn’t really a big lottery player but just happened to get lucky. He also said he wore the costume at his wife’s demand, as she was worried long-lost friends and family would come around asking for money. That’s not to say the couple was being tight-fisted, however, as they also donated a large sum of the prize to two hospitals.
3. Panda Man
This winner from 2011 was thrilled that his dedication to the lottery had finally paid off. The man, who showed up wearing a panda costume, said he had been buying lottery tickets consistently for more than ten years. Despite his long-standing commitment, it took him more than a month to come forward, as he had forgotten to check his ticket. It’s a good thing he finally got around to checking because it turns out he won around $88.5 million!
2. The Adorable Monkey
Probably the cutest costume on the list, this monkey costume helped conceal the identity of a Guangxi man in 2016. The man was the only winner of a $40 million jackpot, which made the record books at the time as the fifth-largest prize won in China. Though he was the only one there to collect, he split the prize with two associates with whom he’d purchased the ticket. The lucky winners decided to give back, donating some of the prize to charitable causes that very day. Though we love the costume, the winner can’t take credit for it—it was provided to him by the lottery centre.
1. The Angry Bear
Though the costume might fool you, we can’t imagine that this winner was anything but overjoyed to pick up his approximately $81.6 million in 2014. The Shanxi man who showed up in this stern bear costume had been hoping for a win—he had spent about $2,000 to $3,000 each year for about two years straight. Like many other winners of the list, he donated a large chunk of his prize—which was the third biggest ever won at the time—to charity.
CONCLUSION
Playing the lottery is already exciting, but winners in China have even more fun with it by showing up in these clever disguises. Though the reasons behind the costumes are no laughing matter—many American jackpot winners have suffered due to their notoriety and lottery scams are common nowadays—it is nice to see people make the most out of the situation.
