An elephant you’ll never forget.

It’s fair to say that Japan is a mascot-heavy country. Every region has at least one, as do many companies and organizations, and you’ll occasionally find unaffiliated mascots who just do it for the love of the game. Having a cute character represent your brand just feels like an integral part of Japanese society.

▼ A while back I ran into E-ta-kun, the mascot for Japan’s online tax-filing system.

But there are some huge names in the Japanese business world that have gone without a character to represent them, one of the largest of which is the 100-yen-store chain Daiso. Perhaps as an allusion to its no-frills sensibility, Daiso’s image has been limited to its name in a specific font along with occasional pink chevrons for years.

But now, Daiso is venturing out into the world of mascots and has revealed its new face to be Daizo the elephant. The character’s name is a play on the store’s name and “zo” which is the Japanese word for “elephant,” and it sports the Daiso chevrons on its trunk and tail while also carrying a pouch in the shape of the letter D.

According to Daizo’s profile, it hails from Hiroshima Prefecture and currently works at Daiso, which is fortunate because its hobby is also listed as “patrolling Daiso.” Daizo also enjoys traveling and studying English, and like apples and chestnuts, but only if they’re carefully peeled.

A statue of Daizo was also unveiled at the Daiso store in Sumida’s Arcakit Kinshicho mall in Tokyo during a ceremony attended by design manager Tatsuru Yanagihara and idol Yumi Takaki, who often does promotional work for the chain. Customers are welcome to take a picture with Daizo there.

Other stores will be joining in on celebrating the creation of Daizo as well, by handing out stickers to raise awareness of the elephant and by selling Daizo merchandise like plush toys and key chains. Even if you can’t get to a Daiso location, it’s possible to purchase stickers for the Line messaging app featuring the mascot in a variety of poses.

Daizo was developed by taking concepts from among all of Daiso’s staff, both in Japan and abroad. Staff then voted for their favorites and narrowed the list down to 10 finalists. Daiso’s head office made the final selection based on their marketability and overall charm.

It is mentioned that Daizo will be making in-store appearances down the road, but since the character is yet to have its own social media accounts, the best way to keep track is by following the official Daiso accounts on Twitter or Instagram. I’d love to go and see it just to see how real-life Daizo’s physics-defying tail would look.

Source: Daiso, PR Times
Featured image: PR Times
Images: ©SoraNews24, PR Times
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