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

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n fictional character who resembles a fat

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

, 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 * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

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

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

is present) on the internet. Mashimaro is far more often seen in

merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...

, similar to

Hello Kitty , also known by her real name , is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red ...

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

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

). 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 humour is a type of off-colour humour dealing with: defecation (including diarrhea and constipation), in which case it is called scatological humour (compare scatology); urination; flatulence, in which case it is called f ...

, which can also be found in some of the merchandise. Mashimaro himself is often portrayed with a

plunger A plunger is a device driven by or against fluid pressure. In plumbing, the term plunger commonly refers to handheld tools used to clear blockages in drains and pipes. Plumbing plungers consist of a rubber suction cup attached to a stick (''sh ...

stuck to his head. When this character was first designed, multiple directors decided not to use him because they believed "cartoon characters must have big eyes and positive attitudes", in contrast to Mashimaro's thin eyes and pessimistic attitude. Creator Kim Jae In created a series of flash animations on an internet cartoon site, which gained popularity. 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 confectionery made from sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a solid-but-soft consistency. It is used as a filling in baking or molded into shapes and coated with corn starch. This sugar confection is inspired by a medicina ...

" 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 of 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 Internet characters introduced in 2000 Chinese animated television series 2010s South Korean animated television series 2018 South Korean television series debuts {{animation-char-stub