Tarepanda

Tarepanda, described by creator Hikaru Suemasa as "strange", with a "fixed gaze"[1]

Tarepanda (たれぱんだ) is a kawaii (cute) panda-like character released by the Japanese company San-X in 1998. The term "tare" (垂れ) means "droopy" in Japanese.[2] The character was created by Hikaru Suemasa (ja:末政ひかる), who was inspired by being exhausted at work.[3] Three picture books and a fanbook by Suemasa were published in Japan.[4] A Tarepanda video game was released for the WonderSwan in 1999, and another one for the PlayStation in 2000. A Tarepanda OVA was released in 2000.

Tarepanda was a major success and by 1999, sales of Tarepanda merchandise had reached 30 billion yen.[5] The success of Tarepanda changed San-X from a stationery company to a full-time character creation and licensing company.[6][1] The blank expression and unobtrusive presence of Tarepanda was the origin of the style that would come to be seen as emblematic of San-X.[6][1]

Characteristics

San-X has said that Tarepanda not an actual panda but "a creature that resembles a panda".[6] Whereas real pandas have white tails, Tarepanda has a black tail.[6] The Tarepanda characters also vary widely in size, between 5 centimeters and 3 meters.[7][6] There is also mecha Tarepanda with riveted seams and a wind-up key, described as "hard but still drooping".[8] Tarepanda is a character that moves by rolling over, with a speed of 2.75 meters per hour.[2][9] Tarepanda's favorite food is mochi, especially suama.[2] T: The New York Times Style Magazine described Tarepanda as a character that is "eternally prostrate" and "whose limbs are mere stubs".[10] Creator Hikaru Suemasa described Tarepanda as "strange", with a "fixed gaze".[1]

Tarepanda designs are typically made in a soft pencil drawing style.[6][11] They are often black and white, or a sepia monochrome.[11] More unique designs have used hand-carved stamps and monochrome photocopying for unusual textures.[11] Tarepanda illustrations used for stationery and in picture books include characters rolling over, gathered into piles, or in a jar.[11] They are also shown lying in a hammock, beach chair, or reclining against a tree.[11] Smaller Tarepanda characters are shown lying in a coffee cup, on top of a slice of melon, or inside of a blooming rose.[11] There are also more surreal illustrations, like a large mecha Tarepanda with many small Tarepanda characters in its mouth, or a landscape with a mountain in the shape and coloring of Tarepanda.[11]

Creation

Hikaru Suemasa (ja:末政ひかる) studied graphic design at Tama Art University.[1] She joined San-X in 1995, and in November that year she was tasked with designing a panda character for stickers.[3][1] She tried drawing all kinds of pandas, like cute ones and lively ones, but her designs kept being rejected.[3][1][7] As she was getting exhausted, she drew a panda that was also looking exhausted and drooping.[3][1] This was the design that was finally accepted and would go on to become Tarepanda.[3] Because of the style of the stickers, this original panda design was flat and had a thick outline.[3] The panda stickers was one out of 12 different types, and sold better than the rest.[7]

Then in February 1998, the panda character was revisited.[3] Because 3DCG was trendy at the time, Suemasa redesigned it in a softer, shaded three dimensional style.[3] But she did it by hand-drawing with a pencil because it was "faster than learning how to use a computer."[3][7] This became the final Tarepanda design.[7]

Reception

San-X did not have high expectations for the character when it was relaunched in 1998.[3] And creator Hikaru Suemasa did not expect people to like the character, which she described as strange, as much as they did.[1] But in February 1998, when San-X launched Tarepanda erasers and letter pads, they proved enormous hits.[5] Before Tarepanda, the character stationery San-X sold was bought by women and children, but Tarepanda products also appealed to other demographics, like working men.[6][7] Dedicated Tarepanda stores were also opened in Japan.[1][7]

By 1999, sales of Tarepanda goods had reached 30 billion yen.[5] The first, self-titled, Tarepanda picture book by Hikaru Suemasa was published in June 1999, and two months later it had already sold 250 000 copies, described as an "exceptional best-seller" for a picture book by The Asahi Shimbun.[1] In 2010, Tarepanda and Rilakkuma, another San-X character, were described as "huge hits in Japan" by The New York Times.[12]

San-X believed the early Tarepanda products were successful because they were released shortly after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, a time when many people in Japan were facing layoffs and, consequently, were sympathetic toward a "worn-out" panda character.[5][7] Hikaru Suemasa said in 1999 that maybe people are exhausted, and that's why they appreciate characters that "do nothing but just stay by your side"[1] and "It's not just being cute. There is something different - a relaxed look, powerless".[13]

After San-X released Rilakkuma in 2003, Tarepanda started taking a backseat. By the 2020s Tarepanda was primarily associated with the Heisei era (1989–2019.)[14]

Impact and legacy

Before Tarepanda, San-X characters were created for use on in-house produced products, primarily stationery but also zakka (miscellaneous goods.)[6][1] Tarepanda was the first San-X character to be licensed to other companies, a business model that would grow to become central to San-X.[6][7] As of 2020 about half of San-X products were licensed.[1] Tarepanda also brought San-X into the production of stuffed toys, which, along with other household goods, represented 60-70% of San-X's sales as of 2020.[1] Tarepanda was also a turning point where San-X started more long-lasting association with individual characters.[1] San-X used to create logo designs and products with simple patterns alongside characters.[1] But after Tarepanda they dedicated all their designers to character design.[1]

Tarepanda has a different style from earlier San-X characters like Pencil Club, Pinny-Mu, and Kaijū Paradise, which had more of a simple cuteness, with easier to read facial expressions.[6][15] The blank expression, soft pencil style and unobtrusive presence of Tarepanda was the origin of the style that would come to be seen as emblematic of San-X.[6][1]

Yuri Yokomizo, who created the San-X characters Sumikko Gurashi in 2012, was a fan of Tarepanda as a child, and attended lectures with Hikaru Suemasa at university.[1]

Media

Picture books

  • Tarepanda: Kyou mo Yoku Tareteimasu. (Hikaru Suemasa, June 1999, ISBN 4-09-681211-0)
  • Taregoyomi: Nengara Nenju Tareteimasu. (Hikaru Suemasa, September 1999, ISBN 4-09-681212-9)
  • Taredzukushi: Tarepanda Fuanbukku (Hikaru Suemasa, March 2000, ISBN 4-09-681213-7)
  • Tareyukumamani: Kigatsuku to Sobani iru (Hikaru Suemasa, April 2001, ISBN 4-09-681214-5)[4]

Sticker books

  • Tarepanda Shiiru (Hikaru Suemasa, March 2000, ISBN 4-09-734351-3)

Videos

Games

Computer

  • Tarepanda (Interchannel, 2001/6/29, typing-tutor software)
  • Tare Tsuzuri (Interchannel, 2001/11/22, card-creation software)
  • Tarepanda Toissho (Fortyfive, 1999/4/16, desktop accessories)
  • Tarepanda Toissho 2 (Fortyfive, 1999/8/10, desktop accessories)
  • Tarepanda Toissho 3 (Fortyfive, 2000/4/28, desktop accessories)
  • Tarepanda Toissho Tsume Awa Se (Fortyfive, 2002/2/8, desktop accessories)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t 遼, 影山 (2020-06-20). "「たれぱんだ」変えた、サンエックスの価値観 すみっコ作者にも伝承". withnews.jp (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c San-X.net. (2011). Tarepanda. Retrieved May 29, 2011, from http://www.san-x.jp/characters/tarepanda.html Archived 2017-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j サンエックス90周年 みんなの生まれたところの話 うちのコたちの大図鑑 たれぱんだ・リラックマ・すみっコぐらし - 主婦と生活社 [San-X 90th Anniversary - Stories of All Their Origins - A Big Encyclopedia of Our Kids - Tarepanda Rilakkuma Sumikko Gurashi] (in Japanese). 主婦と生活社. 8 August 2022. p. 10. ISBN 9784391158502.
  4. ^ a b "San-xネット | BOOK". Archived from the original on 22 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d Takuya Hamashima, "Stressed out? You need 'virtual healing'!", Yomiuri Shimbun, November 27, 1999, at 7.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "『リラックマ』に『すみっコぐらし』…エールを送るだけがキャラクターの役割ではない、サンエックス90周年の重み". ORICON NEWS. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "『たれぱんだ』疲弊したサラリーマンにも愛された想定外 ライセンスビジネスの可能性を見せる". NEWSポストセブン (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  8. ^ "たれぱんだ | キャラクターギャラリー". www.san-x.co.jp. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  9. ^ Roach, M. (1999). Wired 7.12: Cute Inc. Retrieved May 29, 2011
  10. ^ "The Darker Side of Japan's Love of Cuteness". The New York Times. 22 April 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g サンエックス90周年 みんなの生まれたところの話 うちのコたちの大図鑑 たれぱんだ・リラックマ・すみっコぐらし - 主婦と生活社 [San-X 90th Anniversary - Stories of All Their Origins - A Big Encyclopedia of Our Kids - Tarepanda Rilakkuma Sumikko Gurashi] (in Japanese). 主婦と生活社. 8 August 2022. p. 17-38. ISBN 9784391158502.
  12. ^ Tabuchi, Hiroko (May 14, 2010). "In Search of Adorable, as Hello Kitty Gets Closer to Goodbye". NYTimes.com.
  13. ^ Roach, Mary. "Cute Inc". Wired.
  14. ^ "「たれぱんだ」「こげぱん」「アフロ犬」…女子小学生をとりこにした平成キャラたちは今？". マグミクス (in Japanese). 2021-08-08. Archived from the original on 2021-08-08. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  15. ^ 遼, 影山 (2020-06-20). "「はつらつとしていない」キャラが魅力？サンエックスにはまった人々". withnews.jp (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020.
  16. ^ "オリジナルビデオアニメ たれぱんだ (2000) - allcinema" (in Japanese).
  17. ^ "たれぱんだのぐんぺい WS" (in Japanese). Famitsu. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  18. ^ "たれごろ -たれぱんだのいる日常- (PS)の関連情報 | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.