Newsfrom Japan
Oct 13, 2025 09:00 (JST)
Osaka, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)–Merchandise sales for Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot character of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, will continue through next March, after the end of the event on Monday.
The sales period has been extended by over five months thanks to an unexpected surge in the popularity of Myaku-Myaku, which attracted a flood of negative responses when its design was shown to the public for the first time.
Myaku-Myaku is said to be an unidentified creature born through the fusion of cells and water in a small spring somewhere in the Kansai western region, which includes Osaka.
When the design was unveiled in 2022, many people described it as “disgusting” and “scary.” The Osaka prefectural and municipal governments received questions and complaints about the character’s selection.
But after the Expo opened in April this year, the public perception gradually changed in line with an increase in social media posts on Myaku-Myaku merchandise by visitors.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]