Paper in progress; contact author before citing. docchi@sky.miyazaki-mic.ac.jp 1 Yuru kyara (wobbly mascot characters), humanity, and the uncanny instability of borders in the construction of Japanese identities and aesthetics Debra J Occhi, Miyazaki International College Abstract: Japan has become overrun by friendly critters: (typically) soft, furry mascot-suited characters known as yuru kyara, or gotochi kyara, who exist in order to make their locality or sponsoring agency beloved and famous. Of special interest in this paper are those cases where the uncanny area or border between kyara and human identities is not only crossed but violated, as traits are appropriated across categories. Intersections appear between the usually asexual furry suited types and the doe-eyed girls of anime and manga fandom known as moe kyara. Not only are there a handful of these moe yuru kyara, but the non-moe yuru kyara may incorporate clearly human traits in their form or behavior, just as their aesthetic begins to permeate everyday life more deeply. Case studies also include unofficial yuru kyara, yuru kyara whose kigurumi mascot suits incorporate exposed human body parts, yuru kyara who violate character norms of behavior and speech (as described in Occhi 2012), and the various and gendered ways in which the yuru aesthetic currently intrudes into everyday life. Introduction The Japanese media is aflutter over its so-called yuru kyara ‘wobbly (mascot) characters’ and with good reason. They help us feel better in a world of dire events with their cute and cuddly charms. Even Kumamon, the current favorite, has recently enjoyed the public attention of the Emperor and Empress when they visited Kumamoto prefecture 28 October 2013 to pay respects to sufferers of industrial mercury poisoning in Minamoto. The public intellectual Kenichi Mogi sees the next Tokyo Olympics as a chance to introduce yuru kyara to the world -- though I think they will have already taken over the world by then. Mascot characters like Kumamon of occupy a category first defined in 2004 by the popular culture critic Jun Miura. He defines them as: Characters designed for PR of local governing bodies, events, and local goods, especially when in kigurumi form. They have the Japanese trait of fanshī and at first glance one can understand the strong message they communicate about a local speciality or characteristic. There are also characters that need explanation for one to know what on earth they are. While bearing originality, when they are made into kigurumi they often have a sense of instability that makes them all the more lovable, and one’s heart feels healed [iyasarete kuru] just by looking at them (Miura 2004, 2–3; my translation). This definition combines issues of aesthetics based on the term yurui ‘slack, wobbly, swingy’ and of representation, in that they typically bear features and sponsorship associated with an institution or location. Kumamon is a bear, because the place Kumamoto is written with characters that indicate ‘bear origin’; his name ends in –mon because it is a local dialect