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Voting underway for Japan’s top bus mascot

In what other country would someone think it was a good idea to hold a national ranking of bus company mascots?

Japanese mascots: you see them everywhere you go. They influence the nation’s culture. They play an important part in all of our lives. Okay… they probably don’t do that last one, but try to stay with me on this premise.

And despite all they do for us as representatives of their regions or companies, not all of them get a chance to shine in the spotlight. Ranking and elections are an essential part of any mascot’s life from the Yurukyara Grand Prix to lesser events such as the Regional Character General Election.

To deny a mascot the chance to be voted upon is like denying a fish water. But with literally thousands of mascots scampering around Japan, it’s hard for them all to get the attention and judgment they thrive on.

Take bus company mascots. Often overlooked by their glamorous counterparts such as Kumamon or Funassyi, they rarely get to put a dent in any rankings. So bus information website Bus Trip has decided to hold the first-ever Bus Character Championship.

When nominations were open, a surprising 132 entries came in, which has since been whittled down to the following 12.

1 – Santa-kun (Kyushu Sanko Bus)

今日は楽しかったヌン♪ついつい玄氣堂のパンを買ってしまったヌン❤明日は、10時40分、11時50分、13時55分、15時に参上するヌン(∗ ˊωˋ ∗)お時間がある方は遊びに来てヌーン♪#産太くん#産交バス#九州産交整備30周年記念大感謝祭 pic.twitter.com/9CdKR4Xu8z

— 九州産交バス　産太くん【公式】 (@santakun3535) May 20, 2017

2 – Busgori (Tokyo Bus)

★バステクin首都圏[幕張メッセ]★
この度11月9日に行われるバステクに出展するゴリ！ウチからはエムビーエムサービス(三菱ふそうエアロエース・ルーフスポイラー付展示)を展示し、わし、バスゴリも参加致しバス🍌今年2月のバステク映像ゴリ(わしのPV笑)平日ですがお待ちしておりバス！ pic.twitter.com/PFR9uQfhOR

— バスゴリ【東京バス公式】 (@busgori) October 22, 2016

3 – Buske & Busmin (Hankyu Bus)

https://twitter.com/my_only_SJ/status/736784740552822784

4 – Nikki-kun (West JR Bus Company)
(The bus with a hat in the upper right corner)

5 – Norotchi-kun & Norokka-chan (Oita Bus)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OBS大分放送 トピッカー (@obstopicar)

6 – Kanyan (Kanto Bus)

【吉田照美　飛べ！サルバドール公開生放送inバスタ新宿・最後の飛べサルライブショー】

関東バスのかんにゃん。も遊びに来てくれたキュー！！#joqr #飛べサル pic.twitter.com/6WSfWaJDFa

— 文化放送 キューイチロー (@fm916kyuichiro) March 30, 2017

7- Nikopa-chan (Shinki Bus)

8 – Quality-Z (Sakura Kanko)

ゆるキャラとやっつけ仕事は違う事を思い知れば良い RT @E_HOBA: なんじゃこりゃｗ RT @sakurakanko: さくら観光の新しい仲間【クオリティーZ】です！！　https://t.co/yBwUZiGm pic.twitter.com/mWitjbR2

— ひこりこ (@hikoriko_) August 21, 2012

9 – Kyunta (Odakyu Bus)

きゅんた!
かわゆいーーー pic.twitter.com/UkFF3Imy2T

— Makoto⊿🍇 (2/14 LIQUIDROOM) (@Makoto1987) May 8, 2017

10 – Nishi-chun (Nishitokyo Bus)

八王子キャンパスで“にしちゅん”発見！#kogakuin #工学院大学 #にしちゅん #西東京バス pic.twitter.com/SnR6PJHnlQ

— 工学院大学（公式） (@kogakuin_koho) April 14, 2017

11 – Kanamin (Kanachu)

【えびなバスフェスタ in ビナウォーク】
2017.5.21.
神奈川県内＆東京・多摩方面でメイン運行、神奈中のバスでお馴染みの企業キャラ♪
ヽ(=´▽`=)ﾉ〜☆#かなみん #えびなバスフェスタ pic.twitter.com/ahccedi5sZ

— メガ☆ももんが彡 🌈 (@1130momonga_01) May 21, 2017

12 – Ange (Seibu Bus)

エンジェ(西武バス)はエントリーすらしなかったのか? pic.twitter.com/HIceoCct5q

— まーくん (@mrkn_momomako) June 2, 2017

My parents always told me it was impolite to discuss politics openly, but with a race this hot I just can’t resist!

I put my vote down for Santa-kun. Despite co-opting a well-known name, he seems to embody all the qualities that a bus company ought to have: he’s kind of a square, but also looks very reliable and punctual.

おはヌ～ン♪
この前、社長の椅子に座ってみたヌンッ！！とてもリラックス出来たヌ～ン♪社長もぼくと一緒でくまモン好きみたいだヌン😄#産交バス#くまモン#産太くん#たぬき#偉そうに見えるヌン pic.twitter.com/sroGMRJKaQ

— 九州産交バス　産太くん【公式】 (@santakun3535) April 8, 2017

Nishi-chan is a close second but gets edged out because Santa-kun is more original looking. Plus, Nishi-kun’s rosy cheeks makes her look a little drunk – not something I want to see in my bus company mascots.

▼ Alright, good. Now touch your nose please.

https://twitter.com/Naka92857708/status/855961087883202560

As for the rest, we can write off Buske, Busmin, Nikki-kun, Norotchi-kun, and Norokka-chan right away because they’re just drawings and lack the social media presence of their competitors to launch any kind of significant campaign.

Animal mascots are always strong candidates and they should also fare well, except for Busgori. Half the time its hard to even tell he’s a gorilla – he just looks like a dopey guy.

東大阪市民ふれあい祭り⭐︎
お昼ご飯食べるため一時退避！
次は午後1時頃からまた出バス！！ pic.twitter.com/T9YH91bqXm

— バスゴリ【東京バス公式】 (@busgori) May 14, 2017

This brings us to the dark horse Quality-Z. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something about him…. Maybe it’s the way he stands at attention, long and proud, powerful yet supple, and just slightly arched.

If you would like to cast your own vote just click here to make your choice. Voting will be held from 31 May to 14 June and ten lucky voters (only in Japan presumably) will also receive a 1,000 yen (US$9) Amazon gift card just for participating.

Best of luck to the mascots themselves, and let’s hope the winner doesn’t end up as horrifying as some other Japanese mascot designs.

Source: PR Times, Livedoor News, First Bus Character Championship
Images: PR Times

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