Pom Pom Purin celebrating 20th birthday in grand style in Shinjuku Station, adorable butthole and all…
The Shinjuku neighborhood is one of Tokyo’s most bustling entertainment and business districts, and the accompanying constant flow of people into or out of the area makes Shinjuku Station the busiest train and subway hub in the world. With well over a billion people passing through it every year, Shinjuku Station is also a prime advertising location, with interactive ads promoting Attack on Titan, Dragon Quest, and cat-themed delivery service Kuroneko Yamato all drawing crowds over the past year.
So fans of cute characters were excited when the official Twitter account for Sanrio’s Pom Pom Purin (who’s half dog and half custard pudding), sent out this message on Sunday night.
▼ “Off to Shinjuku Station for an all-nighter. We’re really gonna have to work hard to get everything done by the morning!”
Apparently Pom Pom’s crew was able to stay on task, because come Monday morning, Shinjuku Station’s Tokyo Metro Promenade, which connects to the entrance to the Marunouchi subway line, looked like this:
The corridor’s pillars have been turned into rows of plush Pom Poms! And it’s not like Sanrio just mass-produced a single pattern and wrapped it around each column, as each one looks to have a unique expression.
It’s all part of Pom Pom Purin’s 20th birthday celebration, and we imagine plenty of passengers were thrilled to have the character welcome them to Shinjuku or see them off on their way out.
If you don’t think you could resist the urge to glom onto one of these adorable Pom Poms, don’t worry, because Sanrio is actively encouraging people to give them a squeeze.
▼ And yes, Pom Pom’s famous posterior has been lovingly rendered.
The Pom Poms will be hanging around Shinjuku Station until March 13, and the Metro Promenade corridor is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., meaning that they’re standing by to give you an energizing hug whether you’re on your way to the office or home from the bars.
Source: Hachima Kiko, Sanrio
Featured image: Twitter/@sanrio_news (edited by RocketNews24)
Top image: Twitter/@sanrio_news
Insert images: Twitter/@sanrio_news, Twitter/@purin_sanrio, Sanrio (edited by RocketNews24)