Laughing Buddha

In Western countries, people refer to Buddha as a figure with a fat belly and a laughing face. This is quite a big misunderstanding in Western Buddhist society because what they are referring to is Laughing Buddha, also known as Maitreya Buddha, i.e., future Buddha. This misunderstanding came from the laughing Buddha statues, which are pretty popular in many countries since Buddha statues of Laughing Buddha represent happiness, joy, and prosperity. In general, Laughing Buddha is known as a Ch'an Buddhist monk from the Chinese Buddhist folktales during the 10th century. Read more at:
https://www.originalbuddhas.com/blog/laughing-buddha