Kumamon
Mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kumamon (くまモン) is a mascot created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 2010 for a campaign created to draw tourists to the region after the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened.[1] Kumamon subsequently became nationally popular, and in late 2011, was voted top in a nationwide survey of mascots, collectively known as yuru-chara, garnering over 280,000 votes.[2][3] Following his success in the contest, Kumamoto earned ¥11.8 billion (US$120 million, £79 million, €93 million) in merchandising revenue for the first half of 2012, after having only earned ¥2.5 billion (US$26 million, £17 million, €20 million) throughout all of 2011.[4][5] Kumamon enjoys tremendous popularity throughout the world.[6]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/Kumamon_illustration.jpeg/220px-Kumamon_illustration.jpeg)
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