So happy together…

It’s been a while since Myaku-Myaku hit the scene as the official mascot for the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Its globular form and squeaky soprano voice can be divisive at times but no matter what people think it’s here and there’s nothing we can do about it – which really makes Myaku-Myaku the ideal symbol of the Expo.

Image: ©SoraNews24

However, it does beg the question of whether being a dripping perversion of natural law can get lonely at times. Hopefully not, but luckily we won’t have to find out because a brand new mascot friend has arrived and it’s every bit of a distorted body horror that Myaku-Myaku is.

▼ Meet René

René is a creature made of glass that was born in the Crystal Valley, an area in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic renowned for its exquisite glasswork. It’s named after René Roubíček, the artist whose work “Cloud” helped make the Czechoslovakia pavilion a hit during the 1970 Osaka Expo.

To this day the Czech Republic credits that Expo with helping to bring their glass art to the world stage and are eager to show it off again this time around. They were the first country to apply for a pavilion, which was only approved recently – possibly due to plans for extensive glass work – and is expected to begin construction very soon.

▼ A 3D model of the Czech pavilion with an exterior covered in glass

A spokesperson for the Czech Republic said that they were impressed not only with the initial mysteriousness of Myaku-Myaku but with how well it’s been accepted and wanted to have fun making a friend for it.

▼ 　A film showing the creation of the glass Rene

The Czech Republic pavilion is expected to hold actual glass sculptures of Rene, but there will also be plush versions so you can snuggle with this bulbous tripod as much as you want without having to worry about slicing an artery.

▼ Rene and Myaku-Myaku must have some monumental staring contests

Interestingly, Rene seems to be getting a warmer reception than Myaku-Myaku did, if we go by online comments about it.

“The stuffed toy is impressive. It must be hard to sew that weird shape and I like the color.”
“Am I the only one that thinks it looks like Migi?”
“Let them fight. (in a friendly way).”
“Regardless of what I think of these things, it’s really nice that the Czech Republic took the time to make a friend for us.”
“I think it’s cool. We have enough cute mascots. More creepy ones!”
“It looks like a Demon Slayer demon.”
“It looks like when I try to draw Pikachu.”
“You have to slash its eyes or it won’t take damage.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen people in general speak fondly about the Expo.”
“Let’s have a creature Expo.”

I think those last two comments really hit on something. Throughout human history people have loved to see monstrosities in a safe and controlled environment, so why not invite each participating country to come up with their own adorably eldritch mascot? I know I’d pay to see what each country comes up with and it would certainly be an Expo like none before it.

Source: Kansai TV News, My Game News Flash
Featured image: ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!