Kumamon
Fictional character
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kumamon (くまモン) is a mascot created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 2010 for a campaign created to draw tourists to the region after the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened.[1] Kumamon is an anthropomorphic black bear. He subsequently became nationally popular, and in late 2011, was voted top in a nationwide survey of mascots, collectively known as yuru-chara, garnering over 280,000 votes.[2][3] Following his success in the contest, Kumamoto earned ¥11.8 billion (US$120 million, £79 million, €93 million) in merchandising revenue for the first half of 2012, after having only earned ¥2.5 billion (US$26 million, £17 million, €20 million) throughout all of 2011.[4][5] Kumamon enjoys tremendous popularity throughout the world.[6]
| Kumamon | |
|---|---|
 An illustration of Kumamon | |
First appearance | March 2010 |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Kumamon Land |
| Species | American black bear |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Bear trees, 839 children |
Birth date | March 12, 2010 |
Economic impact
In just two years, Kumamon has generated US$1.2 billion in economic benefits for his region, including tourism and product sales, as well as US$90 million worth of publicity, according to a recent Bank of Japan study.[7] Sales of Kumamon items have reached ¥29.3 billion in 2012, up from ¥2.5 billion in 2011.[8]
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The Bank of Japan also estimated that Kumamon generated ¥123.2 billion in revenue during a two-year period starting from 2011.[6]
Success
A large part of Kumamon's success can be attributed to its cuteness.[8] The unusual marketing strategy of free licensing has also contributed to Kumamon's commercial success;[8] Kumamoto Prefecture grants usage rights for free to any individual group as long as the products promote goods and services from the prefecture.[6][8] In 2018, this license was extended to foreign businesses, with aims to both boost worldwide recognition and increase tourism to the prefecture. Governor Ikuo Kabashima has said that he "want[s] to spread the Kumamon brand to the world."[9]
Cultural impact
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This mascot appears in a minor cameo in the 2014 video game Yo-Kai Watch 2, and made an appearance in Yo-kai Watch: The Movie, following the main characters (Whisper, Nate, and Jibanyan) around. Kumamon has gained popularity as an internet meme when images of the character, usually around a large bonfire, were captioned with text reading "Why? For the glory of Satan, of course!".[10]
Since 3 September 2018, Kumamon began regularly in-character videos uploading to its YouTube account.[11][12]
