Happy New Year, the year of the monkey, last year was pretty trying, so I'm actually glad it is over, but feeling pretty upbeat about this year.
Thanks for making my book such a success, and this year I will start another project on cat culture in Japan. From mythology to folklore to designers to artists, it will be in the same coffee table tome/ journalistic format with hundreds of photos, and historical & cultural context. I'm actually personally more of a dog person, but Japan has a hugely rich cat culture.
It will take some time, as I am in the middle of finishing another book, but I'm really looking forward to this project!
In other news, I did a mini interview with Jun Hongo at the Wall Street journal about gudetama, the kawaii egg character which is ubiquitous around Japan and actually, Asia at large. It follows his full
article here.
Why are serious press outlets reporting on such a thing? Well, these characters are a huge part of Japan's soft power diplomacy (Japan ranks consistently in the top 10 for soft power rankings, Monocle ranked Japan as #4), the tourism industry and popular culture, and it is a multi billion dollar industry.
Check it out and thanks to Jun Hongo for dropping me a line!
If anyone should see life sunnyside-up, it ought to be an egg yolk.
Not Gudetama. It lies around apathetically, muttering things like “I
don’t feel like doing anything” and “Can I go home now?”
The
cartoon character with a defeatist demeanor is a surprise hit—and a departure for its creator, Sanrio Co.
8136.TO -1.86%
For more than four decades, Sanrio has charmed the world with Hello
Kitty, whose twinkling eyes and large-sized bow made it the epitome of
cuteness.
Sanrio has already shipped 1,700 items related to Gudetama, and in
response to a growing fan base in Asia, the company in November launched
the character’s products in the U.S. as well. Manami Okazaki, a
journalist
who has followed Japan’s “kawaii” (cute) culture, shares her opinion about the yolk.
- Hello Kitty may have
charmed the world, but Gudetama, an egg yolk with a slacker’s
personality, is gaining a huge following. Photo: Miho Inada/The Wall
Street Journal
- Miho Inada/The Wall Street Journal
Japan Real Time: Why has Gudetama gained popularity in Japan and Asia?
Manami Okazaki: Gudetama is already popular
overseas. At the Eslite Bookstore in Hong Kong, a gudetama book is
currently one of their top selling books. A perusal of Instagram
hashtags reveals #gudetama has over 131,000 results. There are
unofficial fan pages, and all the comments are in English. One fan has
even created a “Gudetama in real life” fan page with egg-y recipes which
are made to replicate Gudetama in a variety of edible dishes. I think
overseas consumers are already familiar with iconic characters such as
Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma, and are ready for offshoots that deviate from
“straight” kawaii types. Because of social media, people overseas are
picking up on Japanese trends instantly.
JRT: Why are many of Japanese characters being embraced overseas as well?
Ms. Okazaki: Characters up until now, by and large
utilize universal kawaii qualities that are not specific to one culture.
Characters are made to replicate the proportions of babies, and have
traits which anyone can recognize as “cute”, which in turn breeds
feelings of love, and an instinct to adore and nurture that item. Also
famously, characters like Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma have brazenly
expressionless faces, and hence anyone of any emotional state can feel
an affinity with these characters.
- Merchandise featuring Gudetama has been popular in Japan.
- Miho Inada/The Wall Street Journal
JRT: Are there any other strategies for their success?
Ms. Okazaki: A very large part of the success of
these characters overseas is that they are versatile, and Hello Kitty
has collaborated with a wide array of brands, hence widening her appeal
to seemingly incongruous consumers, like Hello Kitty X Vans, HK X
Swarovski. At her 40th anniversary exhibition at the Japanese American
National Museum, many famous street graffiti artists made homages to
her. This way, people who might not be typically into cute characters
become familiar with her cult-like appeal.
