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Yuru-chara

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File:Fukkachan.JPG
Fukkachan, yuru-chara mascot of Fukaya

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 [Jun Miura] 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]

  1. There should be a strong message of love for one's hometown
  2. The character's movements or behaviour should be unstable and unique
  3. 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

File:くまモン.JPG
Kumamon, winner of the 2011 Yuru-chara Grand Prix

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]

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.[11][12]

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.[13]
  • 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.[14]

Features

File:しまねっこ.jpg
Shimanekko, tourism mascot of Shimane Prefecture is a yellow cat, with a roof on its head resembling those at the historic Izumo-taisha shrine

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,[15] 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.[16] As an acknowledgement of the large adult fanbase of yuru-chara, there are also some more adult-oriented products such as sake[17] and themed credit cards.[18]

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.[19] Funassyi has also released two novelty singles in 2013 and 2014.[20] A band also formed in 2013 called ja [GCB47] (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,[21] and often perform at yuru-chara events.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "How a hyperactive, dancing, talking pear became a Japanese obsession". CNN. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b c McKirdy, Euan. "Japanese cuteness overload could result in mascot cull". CNN. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Hikone mascot convention: Japan's most plush summit". CNN Travel. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Brasor, Philip. "The obsession over those dumbed down cute mascots". The Japan Times. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Hughes, Felicity. "Naive yuru kyara win hearts across Japan". Japan Pulse (The Japan Times). Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  8. ^ Koringo. "5 Yuru-chara (ゆるキャラ) to meet while in Japan". doq creative port. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Nara Mascot Controversy". Japan: Love and Hate Story of the Mascot Character, “Sento-kun”. Global Voice. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  10. ^ "Yurukyara® Show". Japan Matsuri. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ ゆるキャラグランプリとは？. Yuru-chara Grand Prix official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Largest Mascot Dance". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Largest Gathering of Mascots". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  15. ^ Kracker, David. "Get Loose With Japan's Yuru-Chara". MTV 81. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  16. ^ "ゆるキャラ®グランプリ 公式ショップ".
  17. ^ 山丹正宗　バリィさんの寝ざけ. Yamatan Masamune (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  18. ^ "Kumamon Visa card". Sumitomo Mitsui Card (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  19. ^ くまモン体操. YouTube (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  20. ^ "Funassyi discography". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  21. ^ きゃらきゃら天国. Tokuma Japan Communications (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  22. ^ "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. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
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