Rilakkuma
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Rilakkuma (リラックマ; a combination of the Japanese pronunciation of relax and the word for bear) is a Japanese character produced by the San-X company. Rilakkuma debuted in 2003.
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[edit] Rilakkuma
Suddenly appearing in the appartment of a 25 year old female office worker called Kaoru one day, Rilakkuma is a soft-toy bear who has apparently decided to take up residence there. On his back is a zipper which when opened revals a light blue polka dot patterned material. The contents or nature of this zipper is unknown.
He was first seen in a series of picture books called Rilakkuma Seikatsu produced by San-X but since has become equally popular as a soft-toy character. In the picture books, he is often seen dressed up in a variety of costumes such as a kappa costume. In addition, it is implied that even in his usual appearance, his entire lower body is a costume, which he will often replace when it gets old or dirty (Rilakkuma is frequently seen sitting around waiting for suits that look exactly like him to dry on the clothes line). However, it is not clear whether his head is also part of his costume. [1]
His favorite foods are dango, pancakes, omurice and custard pudding. True to his name, he enjoys relaxing and his favorite things include sleeping, lying around, watching television, listening to music and soaking in hot springs. He loves using Kaoru's yellow bean bag pillow. [2]
[edit] Korilakkuma and Kiiroitori
Rilakkuma is often accompanied by Korilakkuma, who is a smaller child-like white bear with a mischievous personality, and Kiiroitori, a yellow chick who plays a tsukkomi role (considered to be the smarter, more logical one who criticizes others for making mistakes). Kiiroitori is basically the opposite of Rilakkuma because of the bird's hard-working nature and love of cleaning. [3] Kiiroitori is Kaoru's pet bird. Kiiroitori is always telling Rilakkuma off for being so lazy. [2] Korilakkuma frequently plays pranks on Rilakkuma while he is sleeping, such as drawing on him, putting headphones on him and sewing odd color patches on his bear suits. Most of the time, Korilakkuma doesn't say a word, but sometimes he imitates what Rilakkuma is saying. [1]
Korilakkuma also has the appearance of a bear, but also has a red button attached to his chest, and so it seems that he is also not a real bear. However, unlike Rilakkuma, he doesn't have a zipper on his back. His favorite foods are strawberries, apples and cherries and he loves playing with his radio controlled duck. Like Rilakkuma, he also likes listening to music, particularly at loud volume using his music player. [2]
[edit] Trivia
Rilakkuma once lied to Kiiroitori and Korilakkuma by telling them his ears were made out of castella. They then proceeded to bite his ears. [1]
The San-X company puts staff members under obligation to create one cute character per month. Aki Kondo (also the creater of Okutan to Dannachan) saw a TV show about dogs. She wished to own a pet because at that time she was very busy working and hoped for a more relaxing life. Rilakkuma is an embodiment of her wish.[4]
In July 2009, Bandai released an exclusive edition of Rilakkuma-themed notebook computers.[5]
[edit] Picture books
- Rilakkuma Seikatsu - Daradara Mainichi no Susume (Aki Kondou, March 2004)
- Dararan Biyori - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 2 (Aki Kondou, November 2004)
- Tori Dayori - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 3 (Aki Kondou, May 2005)
- Kuma Goyomi - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 4 (Aki Kondou, September 2006)
- Utatane Kibun - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 5 (Aki Kondou, September 2007)
- Bonyari Kinenbi - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 6 (Aki Kondou, August 2008)
[edit] Sticker books
- Rilakkuma Daradara Shiiru Bukku (Aki Kondou, November 2004)
- Rilakkuma Dara Pika Shiiru Bukku (Aki Kondou, May 2005)
- Rilakkuma Gorogoro Shiiru Bukku (Aki Kondou, September 2006)
- Rilakkuma Howa Pika Shiiru Bukku (Aki Kondou, September 2007)
- Rilakkuma Nohohon Shiiru Bukku (Aki Kondou, August 2008)
[edit] Games
- Rilakkuma na Mainichi (Rocket Company, Game Boy Advance, April 2005)
- Rilakkuma ~Ojamashitemasu 2 Shuukan~ (Interchannel, PlayStation 2, September 2005)
- Watashi no Rilakkuma (Rocket Company, Nintendo DS, April 2007)
- Chokkan Asonde Rilakkuma (Smilesoft, Nintendo DS, September 2008)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/リラックマ
- ^ a b c http://www.san-x.co.jp/relaxuma/chara.html
- ^ Sutekina Okusan Magazine January 2009
- ^ Interview with Aki Kondo (in Japanese) [1]. November 11, 2006.
- ^ "Bandai Rilakkuma netbook suffers from serious supercutitis", Engadget, July 13, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
