Kumamon

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Mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan

title: "Kumamon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["advertising-characters", "bear-mascots", "fictional-bears", "anthropomorphic-bears", "kumamoto-prefecture", "yuru-chara", "mascots-introduced-in-2010", "2010-establishments-in-japan"] description: "Mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumamon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan ::

| image1 = Kumamon.png | image2 = Kumamon illustration.jpeg | caption2 = An illustration of Kumamon ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Map_of_Japan_with_highlight_on_43_Kumamoto_prefecture.svg" caption="Map of Japan with Kumamoto Prefecture highlighted"] ::

Kumamon 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. Kumamon 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. Following his success in the contest, Kumamoto earned (, , ) in merchandising revenue for the first half of 2012, after having only earned (, , ) throughout all of 2011. Kumamon enjoys tremendous popularity throughout the world.

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. Sales of Kumamon items have reached ¥29.3 billion in 2012, up from ¥2.5 billion in 2011. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/くまもんグッズ_(21349147228).jpg" caption="Kumamon merchandise"] ::

The Bank of Japan also estimated that Kumamon generated in revenue during a two-year period starting from 2011.

Success

A large part of Kumamon's success can be attributed to its cuteness. The unusual marketing strategy of free licensing has also contributed to Kumamon's commercial success; Kumamoto Prefecture grants usage rights for free to any individual group as long as the products promote goods and services from the prefecture. 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."

Cultural impact

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Kumamoto_01-635.jpg" caption="Exterior of a Kumamon-themed [[Kumamoto Electric Railway]] train (2024)"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/大相撲川崎場所_2017_(33234083763).jpg" caption="''[[Rikishi]]'' (sumo wrestler) wearing a Kumamon ''[[mawashi]]''"] ::

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!".

Since 3 September 2018, Kumamon began regularly in-character videos uploading to its YouTube account.

References

References

  1. (2012-01-13). "Top Ten Japanese Character Mascots". Finding Fukuoka.
  2. (2011-11-28). "Japan's #1 Mascots: Kumamon, Bary-san, and Nishiko-kun". Japan Probe.
  3. "Kumamoto Mascot "Kuma-mon" Won First Prize | Tenkai-japan:Cool Japan Guide-Travel, Shopping, Fashion, J-pop". Tenkai-japan.
  4. Brasor, Philip. (2013-01-13). "Mascots bear cash for local authorities". The Japan Times.
  5. Wakabayashi, Daisuke. (2012-12-25). "Isn't That Cute? In Japan, Cuddly Characters Compete - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com.
  6. (February 24, 2014). "Cuddly bear Kumamon becomes a marketing superstar in Japan". South China Morning Post.
  7. (Jun 28, 2013). "The Branding of Kumamon: The Bear That Stole Japan's Heart".
  8. Brasor, Philip. (2014-04-15). "Can a solo career help a mascot stand out?". The Japan Times.
  9. (4 January 2018). "Kumamoto Prefecture decides to allow foreign firms to use its Kumamon bear brand". The Japan Times.
  10. Ashcraft, Brian. (1 March 2016). "Osaka Overrun For The Glory Of Satan, Of Course!". Pedestrian Group.
  11. (3 September 2018). "1-й эпизод Kumamon TV". [[YouTube]].
  12. (22 August 2018). "Iconic Japanese mascot Kumamon to become YouTuber". The Japan Times.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

advertising-charactersbear-mascotsfictional-bearsanthropomorphic-bearskumamoto-prefectureyuru-charamascots-introduced-in-20102010-establishments-in-japan