Sunday, November 18, 2007

Relax Vitz Rilakkuma

Here's a Toyota "Vitz" model car ad that aired in Sept. 2007. This model is probably better known as the "Yaris" in the States.

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Okay say it with me, AWWWW.....

In the ad, the main woman leaves her (randomly French-speaking) workplace, to find Rilakkuma waiting outside by her car. She asks him if he's going to chauffeur her, but cuts him off by saying, "But to me, driving is my relaxing time!"

Known for doing nothing but eating and sleeping all day, Rilakkuma's name comes from "relax" plus kuma, Japanese for "bear," making him literally the "Relaxing Bear."

He's used in this "Vitz" ad to highlight how relaxing it is to drive the car, that its even Rilakkuma-approved.

Ever since his "debut" in 2003, he's quickly become a star, capturing the hearts of many who admire his talents for sleeping in and lounging around all day. Like many of his other wide-eyed, innocent-looking, cute cartoon counterparts, he has his own entourage (as seen above), his own stationary set, his own cookie and cake boxes, thousands of stuffed toys, and of course legions of fans around the world.


Here's only a fraction of the Rilakkuma variations out there.

And here's some weird woman freaking out over Rilakkuma stuffed toys....oh wait, that's me!

Umm, anyways, featuring Rilakkuma in this ad also gives a nod to Japan's obsession with anything "cute," regardless of age. Its not uncommon to see women in their 30s fawning over the latest Hello Kitty or Disney character. Popular cartoon characters also appear in anything from pens to cameras to phones, which all sell like crazy. This is probably related to the popularity of anime and comic mangas in Japan, which are regular national pastimes and a huge aspect of modern-day Japanese culture.
 

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