It's about coming in second and thriving anyway

April 20, 2017 7:05 AM

Gudetama, a lazy, perpetually weary egg yolk, is a Sanrio cartoon character. Since its creation in 2013, it has become very popular in Japan, and is now starting to find an enthusiastic audience abroad, causing some to theorise that Gudetama may be the cartoon mascot for our troubled age.
posted by acb (19 comments total)

Previously
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 7:07 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

It also covers Aggretsuko, which we have also seen previously.
posted by zabuni at 7:29 AM on April 20, 2017 [3 favorites]

Vox paying by the word it seems.
posted by GuyZero at 7:31 AM on April 20, 2017 [3 favorites]

With Badtz Maru running around the cosmos making trouble, who wouldn't lie around in their cracked shell emoting pain?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:40 AM on April 20, 2017

What's the deal with Sanrio thinkpieces and how they are never completely filled with pictures of the character they are about
posted by billjings at 7:45 AM on April 20, 2017 [13 favorites]

"Gudetama is Melville’s Bartleby in unfertilized yolk form."

"It always talks about going home, but never really elaborates on where that would be."

"Gudetama is the Tony Robbins of doing nothing. You can be idle at everything, if you just set your mind to it."

I can't stop laugh-crying.
posted by giraffe at 7:56 AM on April 20, 2017 [4 favorites]

I am often ambitious, but when I saw Gudetama I knew it was me. Blobby, unpleasant, selfish, lazy, and adorable.
posted by idiopath at 7:58 AM on April 20, 2017 [8 favorites]

He reminds me of Mr Toast and his friends.

I larfed .
posted by wenestvedt at 8:01 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Ha, I'd forgotten about Kirimichan. Kirimichan looks like the Sanrio character design team's meeting ran three hours late and they had to come up with something, anything, before they could break for lunch.
posted by Metroid Baby at 8:17 AM on April 20, 2017 [9 favorites]

I was surprised that Kogepan ("Burnt bread") didn't come up, as it is the original slacker food-based character, often moping and drunk on milk. I've been waiting for a revival as my daughter has claimed all of my Kogepan-shaped pillows and I would like new ones.
posted by Alison at 8:22 AM on April 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

It’s easy to spot the villains because they’re usually ugly (Snow White’s Evil Queen)

Say whaaaaaaaaaaat?!?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:33 AM on April 20, 2017 [7 favorites]

Presumably, they mean after she turns herself into the hunchbacked crone to deliver the poison apple.
posted by Strange Interlude at 8:51 AM on April 20, 2017

Kirimichan won an Internet vote for best new character. Somehow she won over a group of alpacas wearing ice cream, pizza, and popcorn.
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:24 AM on April 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

Presumably, they mean after she turns herself into the hunchbacked crone to deliver the poison apple.

Well, sure, but that's a deliberate and temporary disguise. The very premise of the story is that this woman is so beautiful that it's instilled such vanity in her that she can't handle any competition in the looks department.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:49 AM on April 20, 2017

I've recommended it before, but another example of Japanese cute-lazy is the character of Panda in Polar Bear Cafe. His age is indeterminate, but it seems like he's a 20-something young adult. His mom is sick of him loafing around the house, and forces him to get a job (at the threat of being sucked up by the vacuum cleaner). He tries to get a job at the eponymous cafe, but isn't qualified for the work. Instead he hits upon a gig at a local zoo, where he is a "part time panda" (as opposed to the full time panda) and provides "service" for guests like rolling around in grass, cutely eating bamboo, climbing on a tire swing, etc.
posted by codacorolla at 10:02 AM on April 20, 2017 [4 favorites]

Gudetama-themed merchandise is sold at other stores too, including teenage angst supplier Hot Topic.


Well, at least now I know where to go if I need some (more) teenage angst.
posted by chavenet at 10:25 AM on April 20, 2017 [5 favorites]

Gudetama and Aggretsuko combined together really reminds me of Yukari from Azumanga Daioh.
posted by lucidium at 3:33 PM on April 20, 2017

Who are the other characters in the Gudetama cartoons? In particular, who's the guy in the egg-yolk-coloured bodysuit? Is he the person who would have eaten Gudetama for breakfast were its existential ennui not so fatally noncooperative, and now is a sort of foil, like Jon in the old Garfield strips or something?
posted by acb at 7:22 AM on April 21, 2017

Re "so cute you want to take care of it" vs "weird-cute":

Every time I see this comic of the sad baby ghostie I get a STRONG sense of cluckiness that I don't get from other babies. Crying human babies? Ack, someone find their guardian. Crying baby animals? Aww you poor thing. That specific crying baby ghostie? OMG SWEETHEART PLEASE DON'T CRY HERE LET ME CUDDLE YOU AWW HONEY

Like what flavour kawaii is that?

(Also who did that comic? I see it a lot sans attribution)
posted by divabat at 7:48 PM on April 21, 2017