Once you see it, you will never forget it! What is "Melon Bear"?

If you have ever been sightseeing in Hokkaido, you have probably seen the Melon Bear at least once!
The Melon Bear is definitely different from other local characters in other towns, but its most distinctive feature is its "reality. It is too scary looking.

Image courtesy of Melon Bear

Many people may think that he is the official mascot character of Yubari City, but he is actually an unofficial character. （It is created and managed by Wakasa Kanko Bussan Co.
We asked Mr. Wakasa, the creator of Melon Bear, why this strong character was born in this form, and about Melon Bear's past and future.

Melon Bear was born in 2009. It was born in response to the news that melons in Yubari had been destroyed by bears.

The story of the melons being ravaged by bears was a mystery, as if a new species of bear had evolved from eating too many delicious melons and was living quietly in the melon fields deep in the mountains of Yubari (⁉️). I made a character out of it and made it into merchandise. We turned it into a character and made it into merchandise.

If I were to encounter a melon bear with a mouth so big that it could swallow a whole melon deep in the mountains of Yubari while climbing a mountain... it would be very scary, but it would also make me feel like I could become friends with the bear.

How Melon Bear got its big break

Melon Bear's first product was the "Melon Bear Magnet," which broke in the middle and could be used to hold up business cards, cards, etc., and was launched in 2009.
The Domingo editorial staff received one of these magnets to put on their desks when they interviewed the company. The shape is so realistic and scary that it makes you feel tense while you are at work.

This magnet became a hot topic and was picked up by newspapers and TV stations.

Most people don't think, "I want this! But a small percentage, about 10%, laughed at them.
It's not about " cute" or "not cute," but about "what is this? I think it was this mysterious quality that captured everyone's hearts, and ultimately led to the hit.
At first, I was not conscious of "making something that would sell," but rather, "What would happen if I made something like this? What kind of reaction would people have if I made something like this? I started making them with a sense of excitement. From that time on, I always wanted to make something that would make people passing by the sales floor look at it three times and say, " Hmmm? I have always been conscious of creating products that make people who pass by the sales floor look at them three times and say, "Hmm?

Currently, Melonkuma offers more than 250 different products, including a wide range of sizes.
And it is surprising to learn that Mr. Wakasa makes all of them himself.

The store is filled with products that make you want to stop and pick them up.

Melon bear appears in the store? Melon Bear's House

Not far from Shin-Yubari Station, a one-minute walk from the roadside station Merode, is Melon Bear 's House.
Here, Melon Bear's products are lined up in a cramped space, which is quite impressive.

A wide variety of Melon Bear goods are available, including a headband that turns your pet into a Melon Bear, ear buds that are popular for cleaning your ears with a Melon Bear, and a magnet with a version of a salmon added.

The melon bear sometimes appears in the melon bear house after it has come down to the human village.
The melon bears are very realistic and scary, and are often feared by children when they appear.

Children are very honest, so when they encounter a realistic melon bear, they scream, run away, and cry. I think they feel the reality of the looming madness. I don't think it is interesting to make something that is a hoax or an easy-to-understand fiction, so I make my films in pursuit of realism. I hope that children with pure hearts will be scared. If you say, "If you do something bad, a melon bear will come!" Many parents have told their children to stop doing bad things when they say, "If you do something bad, a melon bear will come!

The melon bear, which has evolved into a powerful creature after eating a lot of delicious Yubari melons, will come up to you and bite your head off, so be careful if you encounter one!

I want to make more children cry!

For the past two years or so, the new coronavirus has made it difficult for melon bears to come close to human settlements. We asked him about his future prospects and what kind of activities he will be involved in once this situation settles down.

I think our future goal is to let as many children as possible encounter the melon bear while they are still young, and let them know that there are scary things like this in the world! We will do our best to achieve that goal!

Next summer, during the melon season, melon bears may appear more frequently. When they do appear, we expect to post about it on Instagram, so please check back.
Also, Melon Bear is on display at the Yubari City Furusato (hometown) Tax Payment, so be sure to check it out!