Gudetama

Gudetama, stylized inall lowercase(Japanese:ぐでたま) is a fictional character created in 2013 by  Amy, thenom de plumeof Emi Nagashima(永嶋 瑛美,Nagashima Emi)forSanrio,and is a perpetually tired, apatheticanthropomorphiceggyolk.The name "Gudetama" is aportmanteauor blend word of the Japanese words for lazy(ぐでぐで,gudegude)and egg(たまご,tamago).
Originally targeted at thepreadolescentmarket, Gudetama gained popularity among teens and adults for embodying the difficulties of surviving in modern-day society.As a result, the target group of Gudetama expanded to millennials.As of 2019, Gudetama was Sanrio's third most profitable character.Gudetama featured in an animated morning show in Japan onTBSfrom 2014 to 2020 and is the main character of theNetflixshowGudetama: An Eggcellent Adventurefrom 2022.Video games and comics based on the character have also been created. Airplanes and trains have been branded with Gudetama themed decor, and restaurants have served Gudetama-themed egg dishes. The character has featured on a variety of merchandise including apparel, stationery and toys.
Gudetama was created in 2013 by then-26-year-old Sanrio designer Amy, or Emi Nagashima(永嶋 瑛美,Nagashima Emi).The creation of Gudetama was inspired by an egg she was using to preparetamago kake gohanfor dinner after a long day at work.To her, the droopy look of the yolk seemed cute.She felt that the yolk looked like today's young people – feeling tired about life. Therefore, she designed an egg character and built its personality to attractmillennials.
In 2013, Gudetama took part in a food-based competition held bySanrioto inspire its designers and test out new characters.Gudetama came in second, with the winner of the competition being a cheerful salmon fillet namedKirimichan.Even though Gudetama was initially less popular than Kirimichan, it gained more popularity than the salmon character.
The name "Gudetama" is derived from two parts: the first is theideophonegudegude(Japanese:ぐでぐで), which is used to evoke the impression of something lazy and lacking energy. The second part is from the Japanese wordtamago(Japanese:たまご) which means egg.Therefore, Gudetama can be translated to English as "lazy egg".
As for its art style, Gudetama is marked by its simple line drawing, in keeping with the intention of using the character in anime for children, but which also allows easy mass production.
The first Gudetama animated series made its debut appearance in 2014 in a JapaneseTBSTV program calledAsa Chan!(あさチャン!,lit."Morning chance!"), a morning family news section.Each episode of the series only lasts for approximately one minute, and as of 2019 there were over 1200 episodes.The series ended in 2020.
In Dec 2022, the official Sanrio GudetamaTwitteraccount had over one million followers, the most followed out of all Sanrio characters.In 2019, Gudetama was Sanrio's third most profitable character, behindHello KittyandMy Melody.
Gudetama is portrayed as a yellow yolk of a raw egg with prominent buttocks.It has a head with no neck and a body with limbs, but no fingers or toes. Its eyes are drawn like two ovals, appearing lazy. It has a mouth with a tongue but no obvious teeth. Often depicted laying on an egg white as a bed, while also using bacon as a blanket.Soy sauce is its favorite food and is one of the few things that can make it motivated.It sometimes uses itschalaza(the bands of tissue that hold the egg yolk in place) as a lasso or weapon by throwing it.
Shakipiyo (Japanese: しゃきぴよ) is a chick covered with yellow feathers and wearing an egg shell as pants.She is an energetic character whose hyperactivity made Gudetama feel pestered and harangued at first, but the two become best friends. Hardboiled (Japanese: ハードボイルド) is an egg character that is cooked as its name suggests, after boiling in hot water for more than 15 minutes. He is depicted as jaded and sometimes menacing with thick eyebrows. Guretama (Japanese: グレたま) is an egg that has become spoiled.  Guretama is a yellow grey color, is usually surrounded by purple stink clouds, and has an irritated expression.  He is grumpier and more aggressive than Gudetama.
Two factors can help explain Gudetama's popularity: Japan'skawaii(cute) culture, and the country's particular food culture.
Japan's popular culture has had earlier characters based on food, includingAnpanman, a red bean superhero with an animated series that features various egg-based characters.
Gudetama differs from other positive and adorable characters in Japan'skawaiiculture, since Gudetama has gross aspects that places it in thekimo-kawaiicategory (which means "gross-cute" or "creepy-cute").Gudetama's kimo-kawaii shows through its depression, which causes it to constantly complain about its hard life.
Gudetama's vocal protestations against its lot in life make it an uncharacteristic hit with thesupposedlystoic and hardworking Japanese people. It has been suggested that Gudetama's popularity can be interpreted as signs of millennial disenchantment with work, as well as symptoms ofdepression.TranslatorMatt Altcommented that "using mascots such as Gudetama is a more nuanced way of expressing oneself than simply verbalizing an emotion or typing it out".
A series of animated Gudetama shorts were broadcast on the Japanese channel TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) between 2014 and 2020.It aired daily as part of a morning family news section calledAsa Chan!(あさチャン!,lit."Morning chance!").Episodes included a game called "Gudetama Chance!" where the audience used their remote controls to win prizes. Each episode and game segment only lasts for approximately one minute.As of 2019 there were over 1200 episodes.
The series follows the exploits of Gudetama and a cast of recurring human characters. One such character is Nisetama-san(ニセたまさん,Nisetamasan, meaning "fake egg"), a young man dressed in a yellow suit similar to a zentai suit but with the face exposed, akin to a humanoid Gudetama. The series' short segments end with a rendition of the Gudetama theme song and a contemporary style dance performed by Nisetama-san. There are also special stories about festivals.
Alive action/CG animationhybrid television series calledGudetama: An Eggcellent Adventurewas released in December 2022 onNetflix, with a total of 10 episodes. The series involves Gudetama and the chick character Shakipiyo searching across Japan for their mother.Shunsuke Takeuchi(Roger Craig Smithin the English dub) provides the voice for 24 different egg characters in the series, including Gudetama, while the voice of Shakipiyo is provided by Seiran Fukushima (Colleen O'Shaughnesseyin the English dub). The theme song is performed byYuko Harafrom the bandSouthern All Stars.
There are two Japanese video games with Gudetama on theNintendo 3DS, released in 2015 and 2016, and a Gudetama-themedTamagotchifrom 2017.
Gudetama Tap!is amobile gamereleased in 2019 and is a casual game or a collecting game.The game is simple but requires long waiting time, while this game is mainly about using various recipes to cook different kinds of Gudetama. A recipe requires long hours to wait can cook rare Gudetama, and players are aimed to collect all kinds of Gudetama as they can.
Gudetama is a minor character inHello Kitty Island AdventureonApple Arcadethat was released in 2023, wherePochaccochallenges the player character to take photos of various meals around the archipelago that Gudetama are in.
In 2019,Sentosa, an island off the coast of mainlandSingapore, got more than 800 Gudetamainflatableswhich were used to celebrated the annualSentosaFunset.
Originally targeted at apreadolescentaudience, the Gudetama market has expanded to includemillennials, with exports to many countries such asChina,Singapore, theUK, andSouth Korea. Within two years after the introduction of Gudetama, Sanrio has shipped nearly 2000 kinds of themed products inJapan, from pencils to suitcases.
In November 2016,EVA Airlaunched a new Sanrio-themed airplane with a Gudetama theme. It is anAirbus A321-200flying between Taiwan and Tokyo. Pillows and chairs are decorated with pictures of Gudetama with sunglasses, conveying a leisurely atmosphere.
There are Gudetama-themed restaurants inJapan,China,London, and Buena Park, California. The restaurants are decorated with the style of Gudetama, serving various egg dishes with the face of Gudetama to the customers. In 2014,Village VanguardDiner Lumine Machida opened a limited time Gudetama-themed café, offering themed cakes, burgers, pudding, etc.
In 2016, Shoryu Ramen created a limited edition menu with dishes cooked to look like characters from the Gudetama series. Gudetama's face was painted on the bread of burgers and most of the dishes had egg as an ingredient.
In March 2016, Taiwanese brand Stayreal collaborated with Gudetama, and listed limited edition T-shirts, caps, cups, masks, and other products.
In April 2019, Stayreal had a second collaboration with Gudetama, adding the female brand Rockcoco. The collaboration was centered around the theme "Lazy is the new busy".
UNIQLOhas collaborated with Sanrio to include Gudetama T-shirts.
Anwar Carrots has released Gudetama collaboration items such as bum bags, hats and shirts.
In 2018,Seibu Railwaycreated a Gudetama-themed train.This train ran alongShinjuku Lineand theHaijima Linefrom mid-August to November; it was then on theSeibu Ikebukuro Lineuntil the end of December 2018. The entire train was painted yellow, with Gudetama's face featured on the front and back. Inside the train, large Gudetama fixtures were added to the sides of seats and from above the racks.