Hong Kongers' penchant for humor and creativity was in full swing at Tuesday's pro-democracy protests, as protest symbols and memes, old and new, made for a sarcastic indictment of Hong Kong's government.

For example, as organizers and authorities quibble over the number of protestors who turned out for Tuesday's pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, one number above all stole the show on the day.

"689" is being widely used by Hong Kongers as a nickname for the city's chief executive Leung Chun-ying, in reference to the number of votes he received in 2012 when he was elected to the post with 689 votes from the 1,200-member Election Committee. Mr. Leung won that race against another candidate, Henry Tang, that year. One of the key demands of protestors yesterday was the introduction of fully democratic elections in the city.

Protesters used fake pigs in this week's pro-democracy march. Courtesy of Charmaine Mok

As tens of thousands of Hong Kongers marched for as long as six hours from Victoria Park to Central, many carried signs with the Mr. Leung's face and the number "689" on it. Rally leaders entertained an anxious crowd by leading them in slogans like "689, step down!"

Some joked that it was a strange coincidence that the official police attendance figure of 98,600 was 689 backwards. The number also has additional resonance, given that the Tiananmen Square crackdowns occurred in June 1989.

Hong Kongers showed their humor and creativity in other ways, too. One traditional Chinese form of protest is the use of homophones, or similar-sounding words that have very different meanings. Beijing's controversial white paper on Hong Kong that was published last month and stressed Hong Kong's political subservience was perfect inspiration: some marchers dragged white plastic pigs along the street, as the Cantonese word for white paper sounds like the word for "white skin pig."

The World Cup also provided timely fodder. Some pro-democracy groups handed out red cards demanding the ejection of the Chief Executive, while others carried posters depicting a cartoonish Mr. Leung as a soccer goalie, in reference to complaints that the goals of government-led democratic reform keep shifting.

Some familiar symbols from the past also made appearances at the protest. Striking a more solemn note were those carrying British flags or the old Hong Kong colonial flag, including many who were too young to have lived through British administration of the city.

Many will also recognize the "Lufsig" soft toy, a plush wolf sold at Ikea that gained notoriety late last year, as Mr. Leung is often portrayed as a wolf by opponents. A protester even threw a Lufsig doll at Mr. Leung in December. The toy had been sold out for months, but a recent visit by China Real Time to an Ikea store in Hong Kong saw it was well-stocked with Lufsig toys, though its original Chinese name, which sounds like an expletive in Cantonese, has been changed to something much more banal – "wolf plush toy."

A protester holds up a placard featuring a picture of Hong Kong's current leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Associated Press

Plush wolves named "Lufsig" are piled up in front of checkout counters at furniture retailer IKEA in Hong Kong Reuters

-Isabella Steger and Edward Ngai. Follow Isabella on Twitter @stegersaurus

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