Cute Culture

Japanese are enthralled with cute characters on just about everything. Known as cute or “Kawaii” culture most businesses have a cute mascot and soft and cute plush toys come in all shapes and sizes and are just about everywhere.

As well as the usual teddy bear and fluffy kitten there are soft toys for just about everything you could imagine and quiet a few you couldn’t. from Soft crayfish, soft fruit and vegetables even soft cuddly poo. There a hundreds if not thousands of different characters many of them not really seen outside of Japan along with all the usual we know and love from the rest of the world like Disney characters, Snoopy, Hello Kitty and Miffy the rabbit.

There is barely a mobile phone without a few miniature soft toy mascots hanging off it. It doesn’t matter if you are a 12 year old school girl or a 60 year old business guy in a grey suit, they would have to be the no 1 fashion accessory.

Just about every business has its own cartoon mascot and many have them available as marketing tools or toys you can buy. Department stores are jammed packed with a huge assortment of soft cuddly and cute toys and the amusement areas have machines topped to the brim with every conceable character. Many of the most popular characters have their very own store where you can purchase just about everything from trinkets, to clothing to computers even toilet paper and condoms.

The obsession with all things cuddly have even caused stampedes at some of the major burger chain stores when they release new ranges of soft toys with their kiddie meals. The demand and crush was so intense a few years ago when a new Hello Kitty toy was given in a meal that the restaurant chain had to stop the promotion before someone got seriously hurt in the excitement.

The soft and cuddly toys don’t always come stuffed with polyester and straw they are often found life size with a person inside. Life size mascots are quiet common and are often found on street corners in the busy city precincts handing out flyers or tissues to passer by. You are almost guaranteed of seeing a big mascot at a festival, street event or major attraction.