Couldn’t resist the Rilakkuma kamaboko at the supermarket !
Slicing it up.
Colorful chopping board.
Glee bento box.
Drink to go with lunch?
I have never given much thought about Rilakkuma until I started working in Japan. As it is a HUGE success here, we use it as a case study when making new characters at work. There are many small interesting details to this bear. I never knew that he is actually not a bear but a bear costume and it remains a mystery who/what is wearing the costume. He has a zipper on his back and when unzipped, it reveals a blue polkadot material. On the flip side of every Rilakkuma merchandise, is a plastic zipper or an illustration of a zipper. I think it is a simple concept but because of that, it is not just a cute looking bear who likes lazying around. There is always a sense of humor or an interesting story behind these Japanese characters which makes them so popular. With that many cute and quirky characters in the market, it is really quite a challenge to create a character that can stand out from the crowd.
