Bao Bao on her debut day. Via National Zoo.

On a cold, blustery winter Saturday, the public was finally invited to see Washington, D.C.’s most undeniable lovable celebrity: Bao Bao.

Thirty minutes after the panda house opened, a very enthusiastic FONZ volunteer serving as gate-keeper said about 300 people had already gone through, with around 50 people allowed inside at a time. Panda fans began gathering at 6:30 a.m., she reported. But by 8:30 a.m., there was only a small crowd waiting to get in. Panda fans were required to walk the whole Asia Trail before reaching Bao Bao, spreading out the crowd and creating a little crankiness in the ranks.

But after seeing Bao Bao in real life, it was hard to feel grouchy. When this reporter passed through, Bao Bao was asleep next to her pink ball, her face buried. (She sleeps for 20 hours a day, the FONZ volunteer warned us.) “Still worth it,” this frozen reporter thought.

Drew and Natalie from Fairfax, Va. woke up at 5 a.m. to drive to the National Zoo, expecting long lines but finding none. “It rolled over and it was really cute,” Natalie said of her first-hand viewing of Bao Bao. “Sure, it was worth it,” Drew said, adding that he was happy to see all three pandas — Bao Bao, Tian Tian (who was asleep outside) and Mei Xiang (who was crunching on bamboo inside the panda house). “Look at everybody’s grins!” another woman reported of the mood after leaving the panda house.

Inside the panda house, cameras from numerous news outlets were set up, seeking reactions to seeing the 18-pound ball of fur. Panda hats and other clothing items were not in short supply. But just in case you needed some panda merchandise, a tent was set up adjacent to the exit filled with panda hats, panda gloves, panda stuffed animals, panda socks, panda shirts and basically any other panda item imaginable.

The panda house will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m from today until January 20. After that, Bao Bao will be on display after 10 a.m.