“Sprout heads”, the new fashion trend in China

A new statement piece of sorts has hit the streets of Beijing in the form of a small plastic sprout that appears to be growing from the top of wearers' heads, the shanghaiist reports. It’s a brand new Chinese fashion fad that seems to have grown organically out of the country's tourist spots, where men and women of all ages can be seen rocking the fake plastic plants, says CNN. The clip-on hairpiece comes in a variety of forms, from blossoming flowers to delicate bean sprouts.

The origins of the trend aren't exactly clear, but some media suggest that the hairpiece is inspired by a character in "Pleasant Goat and the Big Bad Wolf", a widely popular and occasionally violent Chinese animated TV show. Zhang Ao, a young man visiting Beijing from central China's Hubei province, told CNN he just thought it was funny to wear the sprout clip, and didn't care to know the meaning behind it.
The phenomenon has attracted international participants as well, four Japanese college students happily posed with their newly purchased hair clips, telling CNN they had learned about the fashion trend in Japanese media.
Meanwhile, millions of the clips are being sold online at even cheaper bulk prices. One bestselling store on Taobao, China's most popular online shopping platform, has sold more than 1 million clips.