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| Kumamon leads Japan's mascot craze, but don't mention Pluto-kun | Kumamon leads Japan's mascot craze, but don't mention Pluto-kun |
| (8 days later) | |
| He is a genuine household name in a country where celebrities are ten a penny. His rosy cheeks and unreadable expression appear on hundreds of products, from sweets and snacks to bags of rice, stationery and toys – part of a commercial portfolio worth almost 30bn yen last year. | He is a genuine household name in a country where celebrities are ten a penny. His rosy cheeks and unreadable expression appear on hundreds of products, from sweets and snacks to bags of rice, stationery and toys – part of a commercial portfolio worth almost 30bn yen last year. |
| That's not bad for a cuddly black bear with a mischievous streak, who has risen from humble beginnings promoting a new bullet train station in southern Japan to become the country's pre-eminent mascot. | That's not bad for a cuddly black bear with a mischievous streak, who has risen from humble beginnings promoting a new bullet train station in southern Japan to become the country's pre-eminent mascot. |
| Kumamon – a combination of the words Kumamoto, his home prefecture, and the local pronunciation of mon, or "things" – has built up a following to rival that of fellow bears Pooh and Paddington since being named Japan's most popular mascot two years ago. | Kumamon – a combination of the words Kumamoto, his home prefecture, and the local pronunciation of mon, or "things" – has built up a following to rival that of fellow bears Pooh and Paddington since being named Japan's most popular mascot two years ago. |
| He is the undisputed king of the yuru kyara, or loose characters – a nationwide fraternity of about 1,000 different mascots who provide a touch of whimsy to the serious business of collecting taxes and saving the environment, to promoting tourist spots and regional cuisine. | He is the undisputed king of the yuru kyara, or loose characters – a nationwide fraternity of about 1,000 different mascots who provide a touch of whimsy to the serious business of collecting taxes and saving the environment, to promoting tourist spots and regional cuisine. |
| Prince Pickles is animated face of Japan's self-defence forces, while Pipo-kun represents the Tokyo metropolitan police. Eeta-kun, whose head resembles a computer screen, encourages people to file their tax returns online. | Prince Pickles is animated face of Japan's self-defence forces, while Pipo-kun represents the Tokyo metropolitan police. Eeta-kun, whose head resembles a computer screen, encourages people to file their tax returns online. |
| The governing Liberal Democratic party plans to unleash mascots of the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the party's secretary general, Shigeru Ishiba, on the electorate ahead of this summer's upper house elections. | The governing Liberal Democratic party plans to unleash mascots of the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the party's secretary general, Shigeru Ishiba, on the electorate ahead of this summer's upper house elections. |
| Bad behaviour among Japanese mascots has never matched the infamous altercation between Wolfie and the Three Little Pigs at a Wolves v Bristol City football match in the late 1990s, but even the cutest yuru kyara have been embroiled in controversy. | Bad behaviour among Japanese mascots has never matched the infamous altercation between Wolfie and the Three Little Pigs at a Wolves v Bristol City football match in the late 1990s, but even the cutest yuru kyara have been embroiled in controversy. |
| Spare a thought for Pluto-kun, or Little Mr Pluto, who appeared in the mid-1990s to soften the image of plutonium on behalf of Japan's nuclear industry. | Spare a thought for Pluto-kun, or Little Mr Pluto, who appeared in the mid-1990s to soften the image of plutonium on behalf of Japan's nuclear industry. |
| With his cherubic face and green helmet bearing the chemical symbol for plutonium, Pluto-kun fell out of favour after an appearance in an animated educational film in which a boy who downs a glass of plutonium, with no apparent ill-effects. | With his cherubic face and green helmet bearing the chemical symbol for plutonium, Pluto-kun fell out of favour after an appearance in an animated educational film in which a boy who downs a glass of plutonium, with no apparent ill-effects. |
| In post-Fukushima Japan, Pluto-kun and his fellow nuclear mascots have kept a low profile, although he can still be found on the website of the Japan Nuclear Fuel Cycle Development Institute. | In post-Fukushima Japan, Pluto-kun and his fellow nuclear mascots have kept a low profile, although he can still be found on the website of the Japan Nuclear Fuel Cycle Development Institute. |
| Even mascots mixing in more benign circles have become the targets of public criticism. | Even mascots mixing in more benign circles have become the targets of public criticism. |
| Spare a thought for Sento-kun, who made his debut in 2008 as the "personification of the energy" of the ancient capital of Nara as it prepared to celebrate its 1,300th anniversary. | Spare a thought for Sento-kun, who made his debut in 2008 as the "personification of the energy" of the ancient capital of Nara as it prepared to celebrate its 1,300th anniversary. |
| But his shaved head, topped with a pair of antlers – apropos of the city's Buddhist tradition and large deer population – lent him an appearance that was widely denounced as the stuff of childhood nightmares. For all his clever cultural references, Sento-kun was guilty of the most serious crime in the Japanese mascot world: he simply wasn't cute. | But his shaved head, topped with a pair of antlers – apropos of the city's Buddhist tradition and large deer population – lent him an appearance that was widely denounced as the stuff of childhood nightmares. For all his clever cultural references, Sento-kun was guilty of the most serious crime in the Japanese mascot world: he simply wasn't cute. |
| Some parents might wish to avoid explaining to their children the origins of Mokkori, a patently phallic mascot whose name is slang for an erection. His job: promoting mushrooms. | Some parents might wish to avoid explaining to their children the origins of Mokkori, a patently phallic mascot whose name is slang for an erection. His job: promoting mushrooms. |
| Adorability aside, their role in circumventing staid social conventions is a big part of mascots' appeal in Japan, says Choko Ohira, founder of what is said to be the world's only school for people who want to make a living from zipping themselves into a stifling suit and donning a comically oversized head. | Adorability aside, their role in circumventing staid social conventions is a big part of mascots' appeal in Japan, says Choko Ohira, founder of what is said to be the world's only school for people who want to make a living from zipping themselves into a stifling suit and donning a comically oversized head. |
| "Japan is generally a peaceful, safe place, and that's the perfect environment for mascots," said Ohira, who trains 25 students. "You can interact with mascots in public in a way you might hesitate to do with other people, like hugging. Adults will happily hug a cute character even though know there might be a middle-aged man inside the suit. | "Japan is generally a peaceful, safe place, and that's the perfect environment for mascots," said Ohira, who trains 25 students. "You can interact with mascots in public in a way you might hesitate to do with other people, like hugging. Adults will happily hug a cute character even though know there might be a middle-aged man inside the suit. |
| Her coaching skills clearly aren't going to waste. Earlier this year, 141 different Japanese characters set a Guinness world record for synchronised mascot dancing. | Her coaching skills clearly aren't going to waste. Earlier this year, 141 different Japanese characters set a Guinness world record for synchronised mascot dancing. |
| Last year's grand prix to find Japan's most popular character drew almost 900 entries – double the number from the previous year – and 300,000 visitors. | Last year's grand prix to find Japan's most popular character drew almost 900 entries – double the number from the previous year – and 300,000 visitors. |
| In Kumamon's absence, the title went to a rotund avian named Barii-san, the official mascot of the city of Imabari on the island of Shikoku. | In Kumamon's absence, the title went to a rotund avian named Barii-san, the official mascot of the city of Imabari on the island of Shikoku. |
| The Kumamon craze, though, shows no sign of easing up. To mark his "birthday" in March, he was given his own karaoke song and now has more than 220,000 followers on Twitter, as well as 112,000 likes on his official Facebook page. | The Kumamon craze, though, shows no sign of easing up. To mark his "birthday" in March, he was given his own karaoke song and now has more than 220,000 followers on Twitter, as well as 112,000 likes on his official Facebook page. |
| The cuddly bear from Japan's deep south is a "brilliant" mascot, Ohira said. "He started out as a promoter, but now he's become a brand in his own right. You can see he has a personality; he doesn't just stand there." | The cuddly bear from Japan's deep south is a "brilliant" mascot, Ohira said. "He started out as a promoter, but now he's become a brand in his own right. You can see he has a personality; he doesn't just stand there." |
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