Yuru-chara
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Yuru-chara (ゆるキャラ, yuru kyara) is a Japanese term for a category of mascot characters; usually created to promote a place or region, event, organisation or business. They are characterized by their kawaii (cute) and unsophisticated designs, often incorporating motifs that represent local culture, history or produce. They may be created by local government or other organizations to stimulate tourism and economic development, or created by a company to build on their corporate identity. They may appear as costumed characters (or kigurumi) at promotional events and festivals. Yuru-chara has become a popular and lucrative business, with character-driven sales reaching nearly $16 billion in Japan in 2012.[1]
Popular yuru-chara include Kumamon and Funassyi, who have gained international recognition and have reached celebrity status in Japan.[1][2]
Etymology
The name yuru-chara is a contraction of yurui mascot character (ゆるいマスコットキャラクター, yurui masukotto kyarakutā). The adjective yurui (緩い) generally means "loose", but in this application it has a number of connotations including "gentle" or "weak",[3] "laid-back",[1] light-hearted or "unimportant".[4]
The term gotōchi-chara (ご当地キャラ, local character) has also become popular in reference specifically to local mascots,[5] which is the large majority of yuru-chara.
Concept
The term was coined by illustrator and cultural critic ja in the early 2000s, and despite the negative connotations the title has been embraced by fans and promoters.[3] Miura has stated that there are three main requirements that make a yuru-chara:[6]
- There should be a strong message of love for one's hometown
- The character's movements or behaviour should be unstable and unique
- The character should be lovable and hold forgiveness
Yuru-chara are often designed by amateur artists, and many designs are seen as naive or poorly executed,[7] or can appear to oversimplify what they represent.[8] These characteristics generally add to their appeal,[4] but occasionally can cause the opposite reaction: The unveiling of Sento-kun in 2008 created a lot of negative publicity, who was regarded as "ugly" and even "blasphemous".[9]
These "amateurish" aspects are what set yuru-chara apart from professionally-created corporate mascots (e.g. Domo-kun), professional sports mascots (such as those of Japanese Baseball League teams), and commercially-oriented characters such as Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma - all of which are also commonplace in Japan.
Popularity
The popularity of mascots like yuru-chara in Japan has been linked to historical emotional bonds to non-human characters, such as in ancient polytheism.[2] There are also many different yōkai in Japanese folklore, and certain types of yōkai such as kappa and tanuki have been the basis for several yuru-chara designs.
Although the concept had been around for some time, the start of the "yuru-chara boom" is accredited to Hikonyan,[4] who was created in 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Hikone Castle and created a significant increase in tourism and merchandise sales for castle and the city.
Since then, the number of yuru-chara increased throughout the country. Festivals and other events dedicated to these mascots were created, such as the Yuru-chara Matsuri (ゆるキャラまつり) held in various locations since 2008. Some mascots have also appeared in international conventions, such as Funassyi and Kumamon in the 2014 Japan Expo in Paris, France; and a small group in the 2014 Japan Matsuri in London.[10]
The proliferation of yuru-chara by has become problematic in some regions. In 2014, the Osaka government expressed concern that there were too many local mascots, and it was diluting brand identity.[2]
Examples of Yuru-chara
Mayumaro
Mayumaro is a yuru-chara character in Japan. He is the public relations officer in Kyoto. His motif is a cotton. His work is to appeal Kyoto.
Profile
He is a character in Japan. He is a mascot character of 26th national culture festival in Kyoto. We don’t know how old he is exactly, but he might be two thousand years old. His work is to encourage everyone to like Kyoto. His charm point is his round eyes. He dislike rowdy fellows. He is hurt when he is kicked and punched.(mayumaro,2014) He doesn’t have his mouth.So he can't speak. He started Twitter in 2012 June. He tweet over ten a day. His follower is over 20 thousand. His tweet always have a picture or video .He advertises Kyoto and informs us of schedule and a look of events on twitter.On facebook, He uploads the same picture and article and transmits his everyday activity.(Kyoto fu kouhoukan Mayumaro, 2011).
Dressing
[4]
He has a lot of kimonos.Usually he wears purple kimono, and sometimes he wears blue one or orange one with flower pattern.In some of his illsts and goods, he wears yukata, costume of a doctor and a captain, and so on.By the way, his sister-Mayuko- wears kimono which is specially strong to dirty things. (Kyoto fu kouhoukan Mayumaro,2012).
Sister
He has a sister, Mayuko.Her motif is a girl who wants to be ”maiko san" and loves Kyoto. Unlike her brother,Mayumaro,she can dance casually and crab things. She will cheer the invents with Mayumaro. Unlike Mayumaro,she has her mouth.[11]
Friends
He has a lot of friends. He knows other famous mascot character of other area, for example Kumamon in Kumamoto Pref, and Bary san in Imabari city,Ehime pref. Even some comedians and wrestlers are his friends.(Mayumaro friends, 2014)
Goods
They sell mayumaro products on the internet and some stores in kyoto. There are many kinds of goods like pens, dolls, ties, fans, bookmarks, shirts. (mayumaro goods, 2014) In 2014, Mayumaro goods speciality store opened in Shijo for a limited time. [4]Anyone who are admitted by the prefecture can use images of mayumaro for free. Through these campaigns, Kyoto pref hope that many people know Mayumaro and Mayumaro become famous in Japan. (Kyoto Prefecture. Mayumaro goods shoukai [November, 27 2014].)
Song
Mayumaro have a cheering song which has a comfortable tune. (Kyoto Prefecture. (n.d) Mayumaro cheering song.). This song was presented by Kumiko Takesita, who is a singer and songwriter living in Kyoto. She was born and brought up in Kyoto. She tuned this song lightly because she thought that by doing so, children would remember it easily. This strategy bases on the idea that children tend to like Mayumaro.(Singer and songwriter Ms.Kumiko Takeshita 2011).
Roots
Mayumaro was made in 2011 because the national cultural festival was held that year. He was responsible for emphasizing the charm of that festival. His motif is a cotton. This is because cotton is used to make silk and silk is used to make beautiful cloth, for example tangotime, nishijin ori, or kyouyuu zenn and etc.Mayumaro’s products hope that like those beautiful cloth,Mayumaro create new and beautiful culture. In short, Mayumaro is expected to create an original culture. His design was chosen from over 2,000 designs from Japan and other countries.His name was also collected from public.(The 26th National Caltural Festival in Kyoto 2011,(n.d))
Activity
2010, November 1 Mayumaro entered the this year’s kanji ceremony with Tawawa Chan.[2](「Kotoshi no kanji」boshuseremoni kyoto tawa ni 「Tawawachan」「Mayumaro」mo toujou, 2010)[12]
References
3. Kyoto Prefecture. (n.d.). Kyoto fu kouhoukan Mayumaro. (Kyoto prefecture public relations
offiecer Mayumaro.) [July, 21 2014]. 4.Kyoto fu kouhoukan Mayumaro. (Kyoto prefecture public relations officer Mayumaro).facebook. [July, 21 2014].
5. Kyoto Prefecture. (n.d) Mayumaro cheering song.
6. Kyoto Prefecture. Mayumaro goods shoukai [November, 27 2014].
Yuru-chara Grand Prix
2010 saw the start of the Yuru-chara Grand Prix (ゆるキャラグランプリ), an annual event where the most popular mascot is determined by public voting. Previous winners include Hikonyan and Kumamon.
There were 1699 entrants in the 2014 Grand Prix, over ten times the amount in the first contest. 1168 entries consisted of gotōchi-chara (local characters), and 531 were corporate or "other" characters. Results were announced on the 3rd November with over one million votes going to the winning mascot, Gunma-chan. There were about 2.3 million votes in total.[13][14]
| Year | Entrants | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 169 | Hikonyan (ひこにゃん) (Hikone, Shiga) |
| 2011 | 349 | Kumamon (くまモン) (Kumamoto Prefecture) |
| 2012 | 865 | Barysan (バリィさん) (Imabari) |
| 2013 | 1580 | Sanomaru (さのまる) (Sano) |
| 2014 | 1699 | Gunma-chan (ぐんまちゃん) (Gunma Prefecture) |
Records
Yuru-chara gatherings have been involved in creating two Guinness World Records:
- Largest mascot dance: 134 mascots danced together in Huis Ten Bosch theme park in 2013.[15]
- Largest gathering of mascots: 376 mascots at the 4th annual Yuru-chara Summit in Hanyū (ゆるキャラさみっとin羽生), 2013.[16]
Features
Yuru-chara try to portray some aspect of the place they are representing, be it local produce, a historical figure or legend, local wildlife, architecture or geography. This is often incorporated into their physical appearance in an amusing or unusual way, e.g. Fukkachan (pictured above) has two leeks sprouting out of its head (leeks being a popular product of Fukaya). Their name may also be a play on words, such as with Kumamon.
In public appearances, most yuru-chara are silent, and usually act in a playful or childish manner. Some exceptions include Funassyi[1] and Chicchai Ossan (ちっちゃいおっさん, small middle-aged man) who do talk in character,[17] but neither are officially affiliated with any local government.
Merchandise
Many yuru-chara have various associated merchandise as an alternative source of income. These typically include stuffed toys, keychains, sticker sets for Line (a popular instant messaging system in Japan) and stationery.[18] As an acknowledgement of the large adult fanbase of yuru-chara, there are also some more adult-oriented products such as sake[19] and themed credit cards.[20]
Music
Yuru-chara often have a theme song with related dance routine, such as Kumamon's Kumamon Taisō (くまモン体操) which has seen over 2.6 million views on YouTube.[21] Funassyi has also released two novelty singles in 2013 and 2014.[22] A band also formed in 2013 called ja (ご当地キャラクター・バンド・よんじゅうなな, gotōchi character band yonjū-nana) - the name being a play on the group AKB48 and the number of prefectures in Japan - which consists of six yuru-chara who play instruments live in costume and singer/guitarist Yohsuke Ishida. They have also released a single,[23] and often perform at yuru-chara events.[24]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "How a hyperactive, dancing, talking pear became a Japanese obsession". CNN. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ a b c McKirdy, Euan. "Japanese cuteness overload could result in mascot cull". CNN. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Hikone mascot convention: Japan's most plush summit". CNN Travel. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ a b c Brasor, Philip. "The obsession over those dumbed down cute mascots". The Japan Times. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ 2013年新語・流行語大賞トップテン「ご当地キャラ」]. 新語・流行語大賞公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ みうらじゅんインタビュー 「最近、俺自身がゆるキャラになってる？」. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ Hughes, Felicity. "Naive yuru kyara win hearts across Japan". Japan Pulse (The Japan Times). Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ Koringo. "5 Yuru-chara (ゆるキャラ) to meet while in Japan". doq creative port. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ "Nara Mascot Controversy". Japan: Love and Hate Story of the Mascot Character, “Sento-kun”. Global Voice. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
- ^ "Yurukyara® Show". Japan Matsuri. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ (Hajimemashite imouto no mayuko desu ,2014)「「Hatano. Hajimemashite imouto no mayuko desu (Nice to meet you. I’m Mayumaro’s sister, Mayuko.). gotouchi kyara nyusu. [July,21 2014].
- ^ 「Kotoshi no kanji」boshuseremoni kyoto tawa ni 「Tawawachan」「Mayumaro」mo toujou(Tawawachan and mayumaro entered the this year kanji ceremony.). (2010,November 1). Karasuma Keizai Newspaper. [July, 22 2014].
- ^ ゆるキャラ®グランプリ2014 ランキング一覧. ゆるキャラ®グランプリ (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ ゆるキャラグランプリとは？. Yuru-chara Grand Prix official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ "Largest Mascot Dance". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ "Largest Gathering of Mascots". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ Kracker, David. "Get Loose With Japan's Yuru-Chara". MTV 81. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "ゆるキャラ®グランプリ 公式ショップ".
- ^ 山丹正宗 バリィさんの寝ざけ. Yamatan Masamune (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Kumamon Visa card". Sumitomo Mitsui Card (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ くまモン体操. YouTube (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Funassyi discography". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ きゃらきゃら天国. Tokuma Japan Communications (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Yohsuke Ishida Personal Web" (in Japanese).
Further reading
- Alt, Matt; Yoda, Hiroko (2007). Hello please : helpful and kawaii characters from Japan. San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle. ISBN 0811856747.
- Harrison, Edward & John (2010). Fuzz & fur : Japan's costumed characters (1st ed. ed.). New York: Mark Batty. ISBN 193561312X.
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External links
- Japan National Tourism Organization - Yuruchara
- Yuru-chara Grand Prix official website (in Japanese)
- Japan Local Character Association (in Japanese)