A 72-foot giant inflatable yellow toad appeared in Beijing's Yuyuantan Park on Saturday. State media boasted that the toad, which is constructed of 550 pieces of coated fabric, is the "largest aerated toad in Asia" and splashed photos of it on the pages of numerous state-run newspapers. In Chinese culture, the "golden toad" is a symbol of wealth and prosperity.

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But it did not take long for controversy to erupt. Shortly after the toad appeared, one of China's netizens circulated a photoshopped image of the toad with a pair of Jiang Zemin's trademark thick-rimmed glasses, pointing out how much it looked like the former president.

Later, when the toad deflated somewhat and collapsed face-first into the water beneath it, macabre remarks were made about the health of Jiang, who is 87.

When the picture went viral, the state news agency Xinhua quickly decided the embarrassment was enough. Both Xinhua and the internet portal Sina deleted stories about the toad from their sites, Agence France-Presse reported.

Xinhua did not rationalize its decision to remove the story. The site where it appeared now reads, "Sorry, this news has been deleted."

Censorship has been limited, however. Reports on the golden toad can still be found on other websites in mainland China and on microblogs like Sina Weibo.

The yellow toad has also drawn comparisons to the big rubber duck Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman installed in Hong Kong and then Beijing last year, which was copied by entrepreneurs in other Chinese cities.

When an alteration of the famous tank man photo substituted yellow ducks for Chinese army tanks, Hofman's aerated animal also became the subject of Chinese censorship. "Big yellow duck" became a blocked term during the sensitive anniversary Tiananmen 1989.

In a phone interview, an attendant at Yuyuantan Park said he had not been notified of plans to remove the toad, which is scheduled to remain on display until August 20.