Mashimaro
Encyclopedia
Mashimaro is a Korea
n fictional character who resembles a fat rabbit
, created by Kim Jae In (김재인). He is also known as Yupki Tokki (엽기토끼, "Bizarre rabbit" in Korean). He debuted in a series of Flash animation
s (mostly without any dialogue, although the occasional word of Korean
or English
is present) on the internet. Mashimaro is far more often seen in merchandise
, similar to Hello Kitty
. (Mashimaro would in fact be best described as Korea's answer to Sanrio
.) Mashimaro merchandise can be found on the internet and in Korean communities around the world.
The original Mashimaro cartoons are full of toilet humour, and some of this is also to be found in the merchandise. Mashimaro himself is often portrayed with a plunger
stuck to his head. In contrast to other hyper-cute iconic characters, such as Hello Kitty, Mashimaro is portrayed as an obese and obnoxious bully, often resorts to violence to impose his will on others.
Mashimaro also has a look-alike, Chocomaro, who is brown. Chocomaro appears in two parodies of "Mashimaro" Episodes, including Episodes 2 and 3. Chocomaro tries to do what Mashimaro would normally do in these episodes, but always messes them up and ends up getting hurt. It is unknown exactly what relationship Chocomaro shares with Mashimaro, but most believe that he is the brother of Mashimaro.
The name "Mashimaro" came from the creator's niece/nephew mispronouncing the word "marshmallow
".
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n fictional character who resembles a fat rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
, created by Kim Jae In (김재인). He is also known as Yupki Tokki (엽기토끼, "Bizarre rabbit" in Korean). He debuted in a series of Flash animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
s (mostly without any dialogue, although the occasional word of Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
or English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is present) on the internet. Mashimaro is far more often seen in merchandise
Merchandising
Merchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
, similar to Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
. (Mashimaro would in fact be best described as Korea's answer to Sanrio
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...
.) Mashimaro merchandise can be found on the internet and in Korean communities around the world.
Plunger
A plunger is a common device that is used to release stoppages in plumbing. The tool consists of a rubber cup with an attached stick "shaft", usually made of wood or bronze. Before use, any objects such as hair in the plug grate should be removed and, if possible the overflow hole should be...
stuck to his head. In contrast to other hyper-cute iconic characters, such as Hello Kitty, Mashimaro is portrayed as an obese and obnoxious bully, often resorts to violence to impose his will on others.
Mashimaro also has a look-alike, Chocomaro, who is brown. Chocomaro appears in two parodies of "Mashimaro" Episodes, including Episodes 2 and 3. Chocomaro tries to do what Mashimaro would normally do in these episodes, but always messes them up and ends up getting hurt. It is unknown exactly what relationship Chocomaro shares with Mashimaro, but most believe that he is the brother of Mashimaro.
The name "Mashimaro" came from the creator's niece/nephew mispronouncing the word "marshmallow
Marshmallow
The marshmallow is a confection that, in its modern form, typically consists of sugar, corn syrup, water, gelatin that has been softened in hot water, dextrose, vanilla flavourings, and sometimes colouring, whipped to a spongy consistency. Some marshmallow recipes call for egg whites...
".