[WHY] Bright, fluffy and cute: Why are mascots so popular in Korea?

Mascots play a significant role in Korean culture, with many representing sports teams, cities and government branches. Many are much-loved by the public, resulting in their instant recognition and high merchandise sales in some cases.

Hechi, Seoul's latest mascot, plays with children at a preschool in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, in April. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

An adorably pink, bear-like mystical creature with round fangs, green stripes and tiny wings teased its debut in a short clip on YouTube earlier this year. The anthropomorphic character was introduced with four more friends: a red bird, a blue dragon, a black tortoise and a white tiger.

No, they are not the new Furious Five from the "Kung Fu Panda" (2008-) franchise. They are the five new faces that became the mascots of Seoul early this year.

Haechi, the old mascot for Seoul from 2009 to this year [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Initial reactions questioned whether the city government was ditching Haechi, the yellow mythological creature with an orange, bulb-shaped nose and a bell on its front, which served as the guardian of Seoul from 2009 for 15 years.

But that wasn’t exactly the case. The new mascots, called Hechi and Soul Friends, were just revamped versions inspired by the old Haechi — with Haechi undergoing some strikingly obvious tweaks and a spelling change.

Hechi made its first in-person appearance in an eight meter (26.2 feet) high stuffed installation at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul on Feb. 1.

From pink, Hechi-themed public buses operating all across Seoul to long lines for the pop-up stores on the front lawn of City Hall, it’s practically impossible to miss Hechi in all its furry cuteness.

The follower count for Hechi and Soul Friends’ Instagram page quickly skyrocketed to 15,000 from 5,000, which was astonishing for the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

A Hechi-themed bus operates in Jung District, central Seoul, on May 25. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Hechi's first pop-up store in City Hall in central Seoul, which took place from May 2 to 6 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN CITY]

“We have so many compliments on how Hechi is so hip and that it doesn’t look like a mascot representing a city. We’ve been receiving positive feedback and Hechi has really helped Seoul to be perceived as trendier,” an anonymous city government official told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Seeing Hechi’s popularity soar over the past few months, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it is Seoul’s biggest achievement so far this year. The timing fits right, as it is in line with the seemingly constant trend of other mascots — which are not only raking in the cash, but also taking the hearts of consumers out there.

So what exactly is the appeal behind the mascots, and where did they all come from?

The map of Korea is likened to the shape of a tiger, shown here. [JOONGANG ILBO]

What’s the history behind mascots in Korea? A mascot refers to any figure, whether it be a person, animal or object, chosen to represent a group as a symbol of good luck. Nowadays, the definition has shifted slightly and is not necessarily associated with luck, but may also just be created for marketing purposes.

It’s unknown what the first mascot in Korea was, but one of the earliest famed mascots is Hodori, the orange tiger that represented the Summer Olympic Games in 1988 held in Korea.

The tiger is an important symbol in Korea, considered to be the nation's guardian. Before Korean tigers went extinct, there used to be a thriving tiger population in the peninsula. The map of Korea is even likened to the shape of a tiger.

The country's admiration of the wild carnivore can be traced all the way back to the Legend of Dangun, the mythological founding tale of Korea featuring a bear and a tiger. According to the story, the bear became a human woman by eating garlic for 100 days. The bear-turned-woman gave birth to a son, Dangun Wanggeom, who later established Korea in 2333 B.C.

Korea has since continued to use the tiger and bear motif, with many folk tales even beginning with the Korean phrase, “Back when tigers used to smoke.”

Sold-out Soohorang, left, and Bandabi stuffed animals at a gift shop during the 2018 Winter Olympics, held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon [JOONGANG ILBO]

The country has actively used animals as mascots, with the Soohorang white tiger and Bandabi black bear becoming the official mascots of the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon.

The furry duo were in the spotlight almost as much as the athletes during the Games, as gift shops were constantly packed with visitors. Two-hour long waits to purchase the Soohorang and Bandabi stuffed animals were inevitable, with stocks running out throughout the country, according to reports at the time.

Do Koreans obsess over mascots? There are so many mascots that the trend has become a cutthroat competition, with only some able to truly gain recognition among the general public.

Mascots can be frequently seen in the West, with nations like the United States adopting animals or symbols that are associated with sports teams or organizations.

Korea is no exception. Mascots have been created to represent many sports teams, including those in baseball. The mascots for LG Twins are twin robot brothers named Lucky and Star. The name derives from how LG used to be named Lucky Goldstar. Another example is the bear Cheolwoong, which represents Doosan Bears.

But the craze doesn’t stop there. Korea also has mascots to represent cities and municipalities. All nine provinces and the eight biggest cities in Korea all have mascots, and the same goes for the 25 districts in Seoul — technically speaking. Some haven’t been in use for years or have so little presence that it’s hard to tell if they still exist. Yongsan District had a dragon mascot, which follows the word yong, or dragon, in the district's name. But it’s nearly impossible to find anymore.

In other instances, it’s hard to keep track of mascots because they change so often, or so unexpectedly.

Mapo-dongi, the mascot for Mapo District, western Seoul, since 2004, is engraved on a roadside fence. This photograph was taken on May 21. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Goyanggoyang-yi, the previous mascot for Goyang, Gyeonggi, left, and the latest one, Gawaji rice seeds [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A famous example is Goyanggoyang-yi, the white kitten that served as the face of Goyang, Gyeonggi, from 2013 to 2023. It was created to reflect how the city’s name is similar to the Korean word for cat.

The cat was favored among citizens, as it was praised for its straightforwardness and delightful usage in internet memes posted by the Goyang City Hall on its Facebook page. It even won second place in an annual mascot awards event hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency in 2020.

Last year, however, the mascot was changed to animated Gawaji rice seeds, which are native to the city. Citizens weren’t happy.

“Look at how city hall changed the mascot without even informing us; it’s absurd,” read an online community post on Naver. “How could they just get rid of the character that we’ve loved for over 10 years?”

Dozens of comments agreed, some pointing out that it was “a waste of tax money” and that the new character makes Goyang seem “more country-like.”

“Since when did Goyanggoyang-yi disappear? I didn’t even know before reading this post,” one comment read.

Statistics Korea used to have an alien-like creature with sigma-shaped ears, which was named after the mathematical sign. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Is that it?

No. The number continues on infinitely. Public transportation, especially subway lines in Seoul, each have mascots that are mostly characterized subway heads, like Ddota for Seoul Metro, or Road, Nareu and Saera for the Airport Railroad.

Government branches have jumped on the bandwagon as well. Statistics Korea had an alien-like creature named Sigma, which sported sigma-shaped ears according to its name. The Korean Intellectual Property Office, or KIPO for short, has the sundial-inspired twin robots Kiki and Popo. The list goes on, with the National Tax Service and the Ministry of National Defense having their own mascots as well.

What is the reason for having so many mascots? It’s a fairly simple answer: because they are cute.

Using adorable animal characters is the easiest way for a brand to give a strong impression to its consumers, especially when they’ve been turned into stuffed animals or other lovable knick knacks, says Lee Eun-hee, a consumer science professor at Inha University.

It’s the same reason why Koreans went crazy over Fu Bao, the Everland panda that moved to China earlier this year.

“It seems that Koreans tend to feel a closer connection to animals than perceiving them as merely animals,” Prof. Lee said.

A Kumamon statue in Japan [JOONGANG ILBO]

Korea’s next-door neighbor Japan is also a major influence. The country has long been an avid user of mascots, making a category of its own called yuru-chara. It refers to mascots that are created to promote a place, event or business. The mascots are characterized by their cuteness and incorporate symbolic elements that represent their purpose. Kumamon, a black bear with distinctive red cheeks, is a prime example of yuru-chara, as it was made in 2010 by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan to lure more tourists.

Considering that Japanese manga and culture have made huge impacts on Korean culture over the years, the trend is likely to have influenced Koreans to become mascot-lovers as well.

What about from a marketing standpoint? Using character mascots is indeed cheaper than hiring actual celebrities or public figures for a brand, which is reported to cost hundreds of millions of won, or tens of thousands of dollars, varying according to the celebrity's level of fame.

Considering that sometimes celebrities stir up controversy with their private lives, or the law, at times, character mascots are seen as a safer option.

Character mascots are also efficient when used for educational purposes, especially when targeted at children, as is the case for city governments and public institutions. Gimpo Goldline rolled out Pokey and Goldy in early April to make its safety guidelines and campaigns more easily comprehendible. The characters are respectively gold and pink subway heads with chubby cheeks reminiscent of Gimpo Goldline’s actual subway cars.

“The characters help our subway etiquette promotions or citizen participation campaigns to be more easily perceivable by the public,” Jo Woo-hyun, a manager for Gimpo Goldline’s customer support and PR division, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The subway line hosts hands-on programs for citizens every month, targeted toward preschool and elementary school students. “It’s times when young children already know the names of Pokey and Goldy that we actually realize that they’re fulfilling their purpose,” Jo said.

A poster for the etiquette rules of Gimpo Goldline, featuring the subway line's mascots Pokey and Goldy [GIMPO GOLDLINE]

With so many character mascots out there, how do they manage to stay unique? When it comes to intellectual property, plagiarism can be a pain in the neck.

In 2020, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety showcased a yellow rat character called Shikyak-aemong on its social media channels. The name is a portmanteau of the abbreviated Food Ministry’s Korean name and Japanese manga character Doraemon.

But due to its striking similarity to the Japanese character, which resembles an earless robotic cat, the Food Ministry deleted its posts and apologized for causing controversy.

An online spokesperson for the ministry followed up with a written statement, explaining that the character was intended to be a “parody” of Doraemon and that it was “transformed into a rat” as 2020 was the Year of the Rat.

“Our expectations were clearly wrong,” the post read. “There were so many people who were uncomfortable with the content. We’ll make sure never to let the same thing happen again.”

A social media post by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2020 introducing Shikyak-aemong, which was soon deleted due to plagiarism accusations [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Are mascots really that necessary? Sometimes, the mascot craze can be too much, especially when it’s considered to be inappropriate.

In Korea, alcoholic beverage brands like Hitejinro, Oriental Brewery (OB) and Chum Churum Saero promoting their mascots on television and online advertisements isn’t considered much of a problem.

Hitejinro, best known for its Jinro Soju product line, has become synonymous with its friendly, chubby blue-and-white toad. The brand has used the toad trademark since the 1950s.

The character’s popularity has soared thanks to the brand hosting pop-up stores and selling toad-related merchandise like figurines and soju dispensers. In 2022 and 2023, Hitejinro earned 1.3 billion won ($951,300) just by crowdfunding merchandise on the Wadiz platform.

A Hitejinro logo from 1954, the year the alcohol brand started adopting the toad mascot [HITEJINRO]

The friendly, chubby blue-and-white toad in a Hitejinro commercial in 2020 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

But mascot marketing for alcohol is actually frowned upon according to international standards. The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) guidelines, since 2011, state that marketing communications should “avoid the use of themes, icons, music, games or characters that appeal primarily to minors.”

Though Hitejinro is not registered as a member of the IARD, other brands, like OB’s parent company AB InBev, Heineken, Asahi and Kirin, are.

The International Chamber of Commerce and Korea Health Promotion Institute have similar guidelines warning against glamorizing drinking, especially to minors.

The National Health Promotion Act does state that alcohol advertisements shouldn’t “glamorize” drinking, but there are no specific bans against mascots, despite their obvious appeal to underage people.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]