The Mascot Games: 2013 Edition
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
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| Sanomaru (right) making alliances before the win. Via. |
A ramen-haired samurai beat out some 1500 competitors in this year's Yuru-Kyara Grandprix--Japan's annual mascot battle royale. It what could be a Hunger Games plot twist, the Wall Street Journal wonders how winner Sanomaru, a tribute from Sano City would do against Japan's currently reigning power player:
The popularity of yuru-kyara – literally loose characters in English – has rocketed thanks largely to the promotional activity of Kumamon, a rosy-cheeked black bear character from Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan. Kumamon may look whimsical but his cash-generating ability is no joke: He generated ¥29 billion ($285 million) for his prefecture last year in sales of related goods."
Whatever the outcome, may the odd be forever in their favor.
--SJ
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| Who will win? Via and via. |