History

• The Laughing Buddha statue may represent an ancient fertility figure whose large belly promises a bountiful harvest. Chinese legend traces these statues back to a traveling monk who lived in the 10th century AD.
  
  

Features

• The Laughing Buddha has a fat belly, large earlobes and always carries a cloth bag. Today, many people believe the bag is full of gold. According to the original legends, however, the bag was full of candy which the monk passed out to children.
  
  

Geography

• The names for the Laughing Buddha statue in China (Budai) and in Japan (Hotei) both refer to the bag he carries. In addition, the Chinese laughing Buddha is sometimes referred to as Pu-Tai, the name of the original monk who sparked the legend.
  
  

Fun Fact

• Legend has it that rubbing the Laughing Buddha statue's large belly will bring a person good luck.