The Japanese take their mascots seriously. So seriously, in fact, that during the national celebration of the city of Nara’s 1300th anniversary, members of the Japanese public took it upon themselves to create a rogue mascot when the official government version proved inadequately cute. We rounded up the most notable mascots from recent Japanese events to see which ones (if any) might give Hello Kitty a run for her money.
Hello Kitty
**Year Invented: **1974
The Purpose: Official mascot of Japan’s Ministry of Tourism
**The Story: **When it comes to Japanese mascots, or Japanese pop culture for that matter, no character is more famous than Hello Kitty. An icon of cuteness, many would argue that Hello Kitty is to Japan as Mickey Mouse is to the United States. First designed by Yuko Shimizu in 1974, the bow-bedecked cat was launched as one of a team of characters used to advertize Sanrio plastic sandals. Since then, she has not only come to represent, but virtually define the Japanese concept of kawaisa, which is literally “lovability,” or “cuteness.” Much to the dismay of some of Japan’s more traditional aesthetes, Kitty and kawaisa have become major tourism draws, which may explain why Japan’s Ministry of Tourism officially adopted her to promote international tourism.
Cuteness factor: 9/10
Poppo and Cuccu
Year Invented: 1994
The Occasion: 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima
**The Story: **No, they’re not the Japanese version of Donald and Daisy Duck, however much they may resemble them. Poppo and Cuccu are actually doves, chosen to represent the 1994 Asian Games hosted in Hiroshima. Doves, that international symbol of peace, were deemed appropriate considering Hiroshima’s war-torn past. While that may seem like a morose burden to carry, Poppo and Cuccu were nevertheless cheerfully Disneyesque in their representation of the games, and its objective of Pan-Asian unity. The names Poppo and Cuccu are actually onomatopoeias—the sounds a dove makes to the Japanese ear. And they were so popular that their costumes were even stolen by a rabid fan during a publicity visit to Beijing.
Cuteness factor: 6/10
The Snowlets
****Year Invented: 1998
The Occasion: The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano
**The Story: **Sukki, Nokki, Lekki, and Tsukki are four baby owls (owlets, technically speaking) created for the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano. Representing the four classical elements—earth, wind, fire, and water—the avian foursome collectively symbolize “life in the forest,” in keeping with the event’s themes of environmental awareness and conservation. The Nagano Olympics Committee received 47,484 name proposals submitted from across the country, but it was twelve-year-old Mayumi Furuhatu’s submission that won for its endearing, albeit kitschy, syllabic cadence.
Cuteness factor: 5/10
Kiccoro and Morizo
Year Invented: 2005
The Occasion: The 2005 World Exposition in Aichi
**The Story: **The word mascot, usually brings to mind a fearsome, hairy beast emblazoned on the side of a football helmet, but Kiccoro and Morizo, mascots of the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, had branches and leaves in place of fur and feathers. Kiccoro, “Forest Child,” and Morizo, “Forest Grandfather,” are sentient bushes that were meant to promote the exhibition’s theme of eco-friendliness. The genderless Kiccoro is depicted as an energetic, gnome-like tuft of bright green vegetation, while the older Morizo was designed as tree-like and coniferous. This pair of transgenerational shrubbery was so popular that horticulturists all around Japan began clipping hedges into their likenesses.
**Cuteness factor: **7/10
Sento-kun and Manto-kun
Year Invented: 2008
The Occasion: Sento-kun and Manto-kun were created for the 1,300th anniversary of the city of Nara, Japan’s ancient capital city.
**The Story: **Sento-kun was designed by Satoshi Yabuuchi, a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, and commissioned by the city government. He appears as a young Buddha, representing Nara’s legacy as the epicenter of Buddhist activity in Japan, and is accessorized with the antlers of a sika deer, the heraldic symbol of the city and surrounding area. However, Yabuuchi’s design drew derision from locals, who called the hybrid “not cute,” and “disturbing.” Graphic designers at Forum Yamato, a local design firm, took it upon themselves to create a rival. The potato-shaped Manto-kun also has sika antlers, as well as a hat in the shape of a temple roof. And while Manto-kun is more Pokémon than Siddhartha, he’s enjoyed a great deal of commercial success: Nara shopkeepers, concerned that products with the Sento-kun motif wouldn’t sell well, overwhelmingly stocked Manto-kun memorabilia.
Cuteness factor: 3/10 (Sento-kun), 8/10 (Manto-kun)
Inaapi
Year Invented: 2008
The Occasion: The 50th anniversary of Inazawa City in Aichi Prefecture
The Story: Inaapi is a green-haired, gnome-like creature whose pill-shaped body has become the physique of choice for many Japanese mascot designers. Meant to be a “tree guardian,” and dressed in a traditional fundoshi, or sumo loincloth, Inaapi has taken on the role assigned to many of Japan’s city critters: encouraging eco-tourism. Find him stamped across government-issued posters advertising Inazawa as a “city of trees,” or present in costume form at various tree-planting ceremonies.
Cuteness factor: 4/10
Notodon
Year Invented: 2008
The Occasion: Promoting tourism on the Noto Peninsula
**The Story: **Notodon was created as part of a PR campaign to encourage tourism to the Noto Peninsula, a point that juts out into the Sea of Japan on the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture. The response to yet another pill-shaped creature was so enthusiastic that fans have compiled an extensive biography for the fictional character, including biometrics, likes, and dislikes. (In case you’re curious, he’s roughly 185 centimeters tall and weighs 249 kilograms.) He is, essentially, a large grain of rice, symbolic of Noto’s thriving agricultural sector. Subsequently, he never eats rice pudding, as he considers it cannibalism. On a less morbid note, like most mascots, Notodon loves to dance and interact with visitors, all the while promoting the wonders of Noto.
Cuteness factor: 2/10
Mayumaro
Year Invented: 2011
The Occasion: The National Cultural Festival in Kyoto
**The Story: **Kyoto is widely recognized as the cultural capital of Japan, and in order to attract the modern Japanese tourist to the National Cultural Festival in 2011, city officials devised the egg-shaped, wide-eyed Mayumaro. Outfitted in a kimono and pair of geta (traditional sandals), during public appearances Mayumaro can also be seen wearing a sash that reads, “Ganbaro Nippon.” (Roughly: “Let’s restore Japan.”) Mayumaro is primarily tasked with promoting domestic tourism in Japan, and raising money for the 2011 earthquake recovery fund by appealing (cutely, of course) to a surge in Japanese patriotism in the wake of disaster.
Cuteness factor: 7/10