Popular corporate characters

Japanese love Characters, I don't know how many times I 've written about it here. (Last time it was for Nagoya Aichi expo 2005). So let me write about them again today, please check out some of  these popular characters. Here is Japanese national TV NHK's ex mascot "Do-mo chan" (We actually don't know what that thing is). There is a hippo  mascot for a gargling medicine. This is a Miso boy of Macukome,  NEC's monkey,  Carl-ojisan is on these snacks, Pinky orepresents this brand of candy, I wrote sometimes about Qoo and Pichon-kun. There are so, so many characters. You can check out many of them on this corporate characters link site. Each of  these popular characters have some common feature? Yes, everyone of them have small or big black dots for the eyes. Japanese people think that those dotted eyes with only the iris showing are the cutest! Kawaii!(cute!)

Speaking of the preference for eyes, I wonder if the big-eyed characters like Furby, Gizmo, Simpsons, Nemo, South Park and let's add Gollum (can I add him?), are popular in the States... what do you think? The eldest son Yoda, the second son Gollum (may I add him?), the third son ET, isn't that totally possible? I think it is a pretty beautiful character chart!

On this topic, Dough Boy and Snuggle, who have dotted eyes, are likely-to-be-popular characters in Japan. (By the way, the name Snuggle doesn't sound likable in Japanese, it sounds more like a sinus medicine, so he' s called Fa-fa instead.) On the other hand, it is impossible, to find this type of character, especially for a food company. You like this commercial film?

Comments

[Mari]

Hi Gio
Coccolino! It sounds so retty for us. but appearently Latin word. They change their brand name in each area. That is smart way too.

Hi brenda
Yes Yuck for me too.

Hi Charles
Thank you for that link.... Hmm basicaly they are bat?

Hi orange
Impact! That is they want to make for customer?
Actually pain is stronger than joy. People can forget happiness or relax but harly forget pain or uncomfortable.

Hi icpmat
I agree, my friend like South Park so much, they are so ironic and shows many social issue too for me. Even short four-frame cartoon on news paper ( four frame cartoon is the style for news paper )do not show any attitude for politic basically. They have cute face and make small smile people in the morning. I feel Japanese have little interest in politics. And we tend to be embarrased to talk about politic.

[Gio]

we got too the one in the pic of the post (apparently called FAFA). Here is called (for the same kind of product I guess) "Coccolino" (コッコリーノ). It looks かわいいいい。

[brenda]

That Quiznos character scares me. What is it supposed to be?

Yuck!

8^(

[Charles]

I like the spongmonkeys. Here's the original animation that inspired the Quizno's commercial:

http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song/

[orange]

I remember when those Quiznos characters first came out, didn't really make me want to buy a sandwich. Quiznos has always been a little strange, at the one near my house, they always have people dressed up in random costumes dancing along the sidewalk during lunch time. Perhaps they should make their workers dress up like Gollum everyday, that should bring in the business.

[icpmat]

it seems to me that most of these japanese corporate cartoon characters, with their big eyes and neutral facial features, are there to elicit feelings of comforts and sympathy from their targeted markets. corporates in the west don't seem to use cartoon icons to the same extent , and if they do use one (can only think of those ones on cereal boxes), the targeted audience tend to be children.

both simpsons and south park are right wing cartoons aiming more at the adults, and the characters tend to have much stronger (political) message associated with them. so in that sense they are very different from icons like hello kitty, which basically has no intrinsic personality slant of any sort.