8. San-x Characters like Tare Panda!

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Originally Aired on:  Jan 18, 2009

I have to be honest. Some of this information was culled from Wikipedia. But it’s also been supplemented by my interview with Shigeo Yukawa, The Manager of Overseas Exports of Merchandise for San-X as well as the San-x and other websites. 

San-x is a Japanese company that specializes in the creation, production and marketing of goods, such as stationary, stickers, household items and toys that feature food, animals or metaphysical characters. The characters usually relate to some aspect of Japanese culture or have some kind of message. The company was started in 1932.

They have a crazy amount of characters and each one has a special meaning. The first character I ever saw was in a mall in Vancouver. It was a sheet of stickers with the Tare Panda. There were some bizarre images. Like a panda on his back, legs spread open and a censor dot over the area where his little panda buddy should be. There were also Tare Panda robots with mouths that opened to have more Tare Pandas rolling and flopping out in a half hearted invasion. BTW that’s how they move. The have no bones, so they roll and flop everywhere. They also stack up and fall over. I now own an insane amount of Tare Panda stuff. I’ve been collecting for 10 years now. I love how it’s all utilitarian. Like my TP plastic cups, my TP ash tray, my TP comb, my TP containers, my TP hair ties, my TP barrettes, my TP socks, my many TP handbags, my TP toys, my TP stuffed animals, my TP fan, my TP nail clipper, my TP pencil case, my TP pencils, my TP pencil lead, my TP erasers, my TP rulers, my TP facecloths, my TP towels, my TP pajamas, my TP shirt, my TP book and my TP DVD, a zillion TP stickers and stationary. In researching this show I discovered a few things I coveted. Like a Tare Panda travel mug, TP chopsticks, a TP magazine rack and a TP bathroom set, for your toothbrush, and your toilet. Okay, enough of that. (grin)

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