| Rilakkuma | |
|---|---|
| San-X character | |
 Rilakkuma | |
| First appearance | 2003 |
| Created by | Aki Kondo |
| Associated characters |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Kuma |
Rilakkuma (リラックマ,Rirakkuma) is a fictional character produced by the Japanese companySan-X and created byAki Kondo. San-X portrays Rilakkuma as ananthropomorphized teddy bear close to his bear friends Korilakkuma and Chairoikoguma, along with a bird Kiiroitori. After the character's debut in 2003, Rilakkuma has been featured onstationery andmerchandise created by San-X, as well as multiple collaboration cafès. Along with picture books andcomics, astop-motion animation series titledRilakkuma and Kaoru was broadcast in 2019.
An anime adaption was announced on October 20, 2024, the series is to be animated by the studioProduction I.G.
San-X employeeAki Kondo had previously created characters such asAmagurichan andMikanbouya.[1] At the time, San-X ordered staff members to create one character per month.[1][2] After watching a TV show aboutdogs at the height of the pet boom inJapan, Kondo not only wanted a pet dog, but also envied dogs' lives, as she was busy with work and hoped to relax more.[2][1] This inspired her to create Rilakkuma, with his name aportmanteau of the wordsrelax (リラックス,rirakkusu) andbear (クマ,kuma)[1] Rilakkuma was designed with a slightly sloppy posture because Kondo found it amusing, believing that he should look "cute", yet "out of place."[1] Kondo had also designed Rilakkuma with a zipper on his back, which became one of his quirks.[1] San-X initially found Rilakkuma too gangly and had preferred characters with small hands.[2][1]
Rilakkuma was launched in 2003 and first seen in San-X'sfour-panel comic series titledRilakkuma Seikatsu.[1] InRilakkuma Seikatsu, which describes his origin story, He appears one day in the apartment of a female office worker named Kaoru, who only appears as a silhouette.[3][1][4] Rilakkuma spends every day relaxing.[3] The zipper on his back reveals that his appearance is a costume, and his true form is unknown.[3][5] It is accompanied by other creatures in the series, who also have their own character lines.[1]
Korilakkuma (コリラックマ;lit. "Little relaxing bear") is a white bear introduced inRilakkuma Seikatsu in 2003.[1] Like Rilakkuma, it appeared in Kaoru's apartment one day and was named by Kiiroitori.[3] It has a red button on its chest and does not appear to be a real bear.[3] It has a mischievous personality and loves pranks.[3]
Kiiroitori (キイロイトリ;lit. "Yellow bird") is Kaoru's pet yellow bird introduced inRilakkuma Seikatsu in 2003.[1] He can leave his cage at any time and takes care of both Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma.[3]
Chairoikoguma (チャイロイコグマ;lit. "Brown little bear") is a brown honey bear introduced in 2016.[6][7] Korilakkuma finds it one day in the forest and befriends it, bringing it to meet Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori.[6] Chairoikoguma has defined fangs when its mouth is opened, as well as bear-shaped honey patches on its feet and rear.[6] Its friend isKumanbachi (くまんばち;lit. "Bear bee (Carpenter bee)"), a honey bee.[6]
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Along with stationery and product lines, Rilakkuma has collaborated with multiple organizations, brands,[8] and character cafes.[9][10]
In September 2017 San-X opened its first temporarypop-up Rilakkuma shop in Florida, US.[11] In September 2018, a second pop-up shop opened at theNew York City'sTimes Square.[12]
Astop motion animated series calledRilakkuma and Kaoru began streaming onNetflix on April 19, 2019. The series was made at Dwarf Studio. It is directed by Masahito Kobayashi and written byNaoko Ogigami, withMikako Tabe voicing Kaoru in Japanese andLana Condor voicing Kaoru in English.[13][14] In October 2020, it was announced another stop-motion seriesRilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure will be released on Netflix.[15] San-X has announced on its Japanese website thatRilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure will be released worldwide exclusively on Netflix on August 25, 2022.[16]
Initial sales for the Rilakkuma product line were low but slowly picked up popularity in 2004, with Rilakkuma breaking the stereotype of cute characters needing to be energetic.[1] In May 2010, Rilakkuma ranked as the fifth most popular character in Japan in a survey of the Character Databank.[17] By the end of 2016, Rilakkuma had earned more than 250 billion yen.[1] As of March 2020[update], character merchandise has generated a total of$10 billion in retail sales revenue across Asia.[18]