Mamegoma

Mamegoma plush toys from a UFO catcher

Mamegoma (まめゴマ) is a series of seal characters released in 2005 by the Japanese company San-X.[1] They were created by Mayumi Yonemura (ja:ヨネムラマユミ) and are depicted as small enough to live in a goldfish bowl. A 2009 Mamegoma anime series called Kupū~!! Mamegoma! (クプ～！！まめゴマ！) was produced by TMS Entertainment. Four Mamegoma Nintendo DS games were released in Japan between 2007 and 2010, and two 3DS games in 2012 and 2013. The first and second DS games shipped a combined total of over 250 000 copies.[2] Several picture books and manga by Yonemura featuring Mamegoma have been published in Japan. The first four books shipped 300 000 copies in total.[3]

Characters and background

The prefix mame, meaning bean in Japanese, is used to refer to miniature versions of things; the suffix goma is an abbreviation of gomafuazarashi, or sesame seed-mottled seal, which is the Japanese name for the spotted seal.

Mamegoma characters are pictured in a variety of different colors including, white, blue, pink, yellow, and black. The seals are depicted as being small enough (12 cm, weighing around 200 g) to live in a common goldfish bowl, usually with a few ice cubes to keep the water nice and cool. They are also shown in bath tubs and relaxing on a wheel in a hamster cage among other activities. They love eating edamame beans.[4]

The original creator of Mamegoma is Mayumi Yonemura (ja:ヨネムラマユミ).[5][6] The character was created in an in-house competition calling for seal characters. The original draft was named Azarashiriumu (アザラシリウム, transl. Sealquarium). The draft concept included being able to keep a seal at home, and a visual of a seal in a goldfish gold. The draft was well received by San-X and was developed into the final Mamegoma concept.[7]

The mamegoma characters are available as plush toys from UFO catcher machines. There are also many different products with the Mamegoma seals as a decoration, like stationery, calendars etc.

Media

The 2009 anime Kupū~!! Mamegoma! (クプ～！！まめゴマ！) is based on Mamegoma. It was produced by TMS Entertainment.[8] The story revolves around Mameta and other seal characters including Soda-kun, Cherry-chan, and Lemon-chan.[9]

Four Mamegoma Nintendo DS games were released in Japan between 2007 and 2010: Mamegoma: Honobono Nikki (ja:まめゴマほのぼの日記, transl. Mamegoma: Heartwarming Diary), Mamegoma 2: Uchi no Ko ga Ichiban! (まめゴマ２　うちのコがイチバン！, transl. Mamegoma 2: My Pet is the Best!), Kupū~!! Mamegoma! (クプ～！！まめゴマ), Mamegoma 3: Kawaii ga Ippai! (まめゴマ３　かわいいがいっぱい！, transl. Mamegoma 3: Full of Cuteness!). The first and second DS games shipped a combined total of over 250 000 copies.[2]

Two Nintendo 3DS games featuring Mamegoma were released in Japan in 2012 and 2013: Mamegoma: Yoiko Maruko Genkinako! (まめゴマ　よいこ まるいこ げんきなこ！, transl. Mamegoma: Good Pet, Round Pet, Lively Pet!) and Mamegoma: Happī! Suītsufāmu (まめゴマ はっぴー！スイーツファーム, transl. Mamegoma: Happy Sweets Farm).[10][11][12]

A Tamagotchi-like Mamegoma virtual pet called Mamegoma Shiiku Nikki (まめゴマ飼育日記, transl. Mamegoma Raising Diary) was released by Bandai in 2006.[13]

Several books featuring Mamegoma have been published in Japan, including 10 volumes published 2005-2015 in the series Watashi to Mamegoma Nikki (ワタシとまめゴマ日記, transl. Me and Mamegoma Diary) by the original creator, Mayumi Yonemura, which include both picture book story telling and yonkoma manga.[14][15][16] As of January 2009, the total number of copies published for volumes 1-4 of the series was 300 000.[3] There are also other picture books by Yonemura that are not part of the series. Another series of picture books based on the Kupū~!! Mamegoma! anime was also published in Japan.[14]

References

  1. ^ "まめゴマ | キャラクターギャラリー". www.san-x.co.jp. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b "DS『クプ〜!! まめゴマ!』発売日7月16日に決定！". インサイド (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b "サンエックスの人気キャラクター「まめゴマ」をテレビアニメ化" [San-X's popular character Mamegoma becomes a TV anime] (PDF) (in Japanese). TMS Entertainment. 2009-01-08. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-09-08. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  4. ^ "San-xネット". Archived from the original on 20 May 2016.
  5. ^ Inc, Aetas (9 August 2025). "こんなにかわいいのが同時に8匹も飼えるなんて！ ニンテンドーDS用ソフト「まめゴマ3～かわいいがいっぱい～」は2010年8月5日発売". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 1 December 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2025. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "『まめゴマ3』発売日が8月5日に決定、パッケージも明らかに - 電撃オンライン". dengekionline.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  7. ^ "「すみっコぐらし」映画第3弾の公開決定 原案は作者がノートのすみに書いた落書き". Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  8. ^ "TVアニメ クプ～！！まめゴマ！ (2009) - allcinema". allcinema (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Kupū~!! Mamegoma! Anime Promo Movie Streamed". Anime News Network. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  10. ^ "San-xネット - サンエックスキャラゲーム". Archived from the original on 24 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Game Franchises - Mame Goma - GameFAQs". gamefaqs.gamespot.com. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  12. ^ Inc, Aetas. "小さなアザラシ"まめゴマ"を題材とした「まめゴマ はっぴー！スイーツファーム」，ニンテンドー3DS用ソフトとして2013年7月4日に発売". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 August 2025. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "バンダイ 商品・サービスサイト | まめゴマ飼育日記 | 商品情報". Archived from the original on 18 September 2020.
  14. ^ a b "San-xネット | BOOK". Archived from the original on 22 September 2014.
  15. ^ "San-xネット | BOOK まめゴマ一覧". Archived from the original on 22 January 2019.
  16. ^ ヨネムラ マユミ (2005-11-01). ワタシとまめゴマ日記 (in Japanese). 主婦と生活社. ISBN 9784391131574.
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