Mascot Information
Name: Domo-kun
Prefecture: Tokyo Prefecture
Reason For Popularity: The popularity of Domo-kun likely comes from it’s common appearances at retail outlets, video games, and stop-motion animation. It was a fun yet simple mascot which is why it was a great mascot for all ages. As a matter of fact, it was so popular that even in North America it was well-known and was even apart of my childhood which is why I chose it!
Image of Domo-kun (Sourced from Supplyepic.com)
Japanese mascots are meaningful to citizens and hold values to them! This separates them from mascots we often see in Canada; with most of them being animals that are commonly chosen for their contributions in generating money. These type of mascots simply hold zero value for most Canadian citizens. Now, in Japan all their official mascots hold a lot of meaning whether it’s their culture, tourism, or representation of the prefecture.
Mascots are likely popular in Japan for several reasons. They are, in most cases, fun, playful, and joyful mascots that can be considered “role models” for a lot of children. They influence a lot of different things in prefectures such as the economy! Mascots were inspirational figures for a lot of the youth in Japan which is likely why they are held to such a high standard. Although this is true for Japan, it is significantly different for Canada. Our mascots simply hold no meaning to a majority of the population and as stated before, are commonly just animals that had a small degree of importance in Canadian history. As for my own opinion, I believe that Canada should somewhat follow in Japan’s footsteps and have personalized mascots for each province. This could help in a multitude of ways such as boosting tourism rates, the economy, and having a figure that can be looked up to by the youth.
Below is a mascot that I believe would fit Coquitlam or the surrounding cities! Agriculture is booming towards the East which is why this little guy would fit the image. Having something that relates to the community and has a fun and welcoming character is beneficial in order to have mascots like Japan.
