Paper short abstract:

Globalization of local Japanese mascot characters poses issues that prove more challenging than those of manga/anime, issues that derive from the essential factors that make yuru/gotouchi kyara succeed in local contexts. This analysis is based on a large database as well as particular case studies.

Paper long abstract:

Ken Mogi predicts that yuru kyara will become globally prominent at the 2016 Tokyo Olympics. But can they succeed? While anime, manga, and Hello Kitty enjoy prominence in the globalized Cool Japan aesthetic, and Line characters expand throughout Asia and into Europe, the domestically ubiquitous yuru and gotochi kyara have only begun to foray abroad. Though these local darlings enjoy an increasing share of domestic attention and economic success, in foreign contexts these have often been characterized as Weird, not-Cool Japan, taken as ironic, or misinterpreted for reasons investigated by this research.

One major question concerning mascot kyara portability from Japan is the level to which their cultural semiotics can be communicated successfully - characteristics that in many cases are imbued with local color, via symbolism that is highly significant domestically and concomitantly difficult to translate. Another issue involves the contexts into which these kyara seek to intrude and find success. The simple act of symbolic representation of a Japanese place or entity by kyara can be welcomed or found problematic depending on foreign sensibilities. The analysis presented here involves a database of over one thousand yuru/gotouchi kyara, the currently most famous (and aiming to globalize) official and unofficial local kyara, Kumamon and Funasshii, and as contrast, Kumamon's neighboring prefectural representatives, the Miyazaki Ken.