(Yicai) Feb. 6 -- One of Pop Mart’s Space Molly dolls has become the first art toy to complete a suborbital round-trip journey into space, and it is now on display at the Chinese toymaker’s immersive theme park in Beijing.

The Space Molly doll, co-designed by Pop Mart and rocket services provider CAS Space Technology, was carried into space aboard a CAS Space Lihong-1 rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Jan. 12. It returned to Earth after completing a suborbital flight test.

The doll, complete with its signature astronaut helmet, has gone on show at Pop Mart Land Beijing, a manager told Yicai.

Toys have been traveling into space for decades for symbolic, educational, and cultural reasons. Over time, plush toys became especially useful as zero-gravity indicators. Pop Mart’s Space Molly -- designed by Hong Kong-based artist and designer Kenny Wong -- is the first designer toy to complete a suborbital round-trip flight exceeding 120 kilometers, the manager said.

The collaboration aims to strengthen CAS Space’s public appeal and modern image, Shi Xiaoning, its chief designer and administrative director of the Lihong-1 project, told Yicai. By tapping into cultural consumption, the partnership seeks to generate online buzz through the idea of the “first space passenger” and to attract broader public interest in space tourism, Shi added.

CAS Space is a mixed-ownership rocket company whose core businesses include rocket development and launch services, as well as the design and manufacturing of suborbital vehicles. The Guangzhou-based company plans to enter the space tourism market in the future.

The company is preparing for a listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s technology board, the Star Market, and has already completed initial public offering tutoring, according to the China Securities Regulatory Commission’s website.

CAS Space is now developing the Lihong-2 vehicle, a reusable rocket, expected to become China’s first fully reusable vehicle dedicated to space tourism, designed to be capable of completing more than 30 repeated flights, the company noted.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione