Rilakkuma

Rilakkuma
San-X character
First appearance	2003
Created by	Aki Kondo
Information
Gender	Male
Family	Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori

Rilakkuma (リラックマ, Rirakkuma^?) is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company San-X, created by former employee Aki Kondo. Companies such as Re-Ment have collaborated with San-X to create Rilakkuma merchandise. Rilakkuma appears on items such as stationery, dishware, backpacks, and stuffed animals.

Rilakkuma's name is a combination of リラックス rirakkusu, a Japanese transliteration of the English word "relax", and クマ（熊）kuma, the Japanese word for "bear". Rilakkuma's origin story is that he mysteriously appears in the office lady Kaoru's apartment one day. He is a soft toy bear who has apparently decided to take up residence there. On his back there is a zipper which when opened reveals a light blue polka dot patterned material. The reason for the zipper on his back is unknown.

He was first seen in a series of picture books called Rilakkuma Seikatsu produced by San-X but since has become equally popular as a soft-toy character. In the picture books, he is often seen dressed up in a variety of costumes such as a kappa costume. In addition, it is implied that even in his usual appearance, his entire lower body is a costume, which he will often replace when it gets old or dirty (Rilakkuma is frequently seen sitting around waiting for suits that look exactly like him to dry on the clothes line). However, it is not clear whether his head is also part of his costume.

Rilakkuma is often accompanied by his friend Korilakkuma. While Rilakkuma is a brown bear cub, Korilakkuma is white. She also wears a red button on her chest. Kiiroitori fictionally named her Korilakkuma because she looks like little Rilakkuma ("ko" means a little child in Japanese.). She also mysteriously appeared at Kaoru’s house. She is full of vigor and is very mischievous.

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Wikipedia