Mashimaro (마시마로) or Yeopki Tokki (엽기토끼 "bizarre rabbit") in Korean and 流氓兔 ("hoodlum rabbit") in Chinese is a South

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n fictional character who resembles a fat rabbit, created by Kim Jae In (김재인). He debuted in a series of

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...

animations (mostly without any dialogue, although the occasional word of

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

is present) on the internet. Mashimaro is far more often seen in merchandise, similar to

Hello Kitty , also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...

. (Mashimaro would in fact be best described as Korea's answer to

Sanrio is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold ...

.) Mashimaro merchandise can be found on the internet and in Korean communities around the world. The original Mashimaro cartoons are full of

toilet humour Toilet humour, or potty or scatological humour (compare scatology), is a type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, diarrhea, constipation, urination and flatulence, and to a lesser extent vomiting and other bodily functions. It see ...

, and some of this is also to be found in the merchandise. Mashimaro himself is often portrayed with a

plunger A plunger, force cup, plumber's friend or plumber's helper is a tool used to clear blockages in drains and pipes. It consists of a rubber suction cup attached to a stick (''shaft'') usually made of wood or plastic. A different bellows-like des ...

stuck to his head. When this character was first designed, directors decided to not to use him because they thought 'cartoon characters must have big eyes and positive attitudes,’ and Mashimaro has razor thin eyes and too pessimistic attitude. So the creator Kim Jae made a series of flash animations on the Internet cartoon site and people loved it. The directors then changed their mind about Mashimaro and he became the first Korean hit character. Some years later, the company began to professionally market Mashimaro. Mashimaro also has a look-alike, Chocomaro, who is brown. Chocomaro appears in two parodies of "Mashimaro" Episodes, including Episodes 2 and 3. Chocomaro tries to do what Mashimaro would normally do in these episodes, but always messes them up and ends up getting hurt. It is unknown exactly what relationship Chocomaro shares with Mashimaro, but most believe that he is the brother of Mashimaro. The name "Mashimaro" came from the creator's niece/nephew mispronouncing the word "

marshmallow Marshmallow (, ) is a type of confectionery that is typically made from sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a solid-but-soft consistency. It is used as a filling in baking or normally molded into shapes and coated with corn starch. The sugar c ...

" and this character was modeled after the creator's nephew. A Chinese-Korean animated series based on the character was created in 2018. In 2020, it was announced that a live action movie Mashimaro would be produced. The movie was released on April 6,2022, and was titled "Detective Mashimaro"

References

External links

Official SiteAsiaFinest MashiMaro
South Korean animation Fictional rabbits and hares Fictional bullies Fictional characters introduced in 2000 Chinese animated television series 2010s South Korean animated television series 2018 South Korean television series debuts {{animation-char-stub

See also

References

External links