Saturday, at 2pm in the heart of Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area, crowds gathered on the ground floor of a busy shopping complex, some had waited in line for hours. A resounding ‘aww’ was heard as a furry brown bear appeared in front of a cafe.
She is ‘Butterbear’, or ‘Nong Noey’, a Thai mascot who has been described as an ‘internet idol’, with over half a million followers on TikTok.
Even Srettha Thavisin, the Thai prime minister, recently wrote on social media that he is “proud that Butterbear, the cute and adorable Thai mascot, is now famous both in Thailand and abroad, especially in China”.
The PM also mentioned that Butterbear “sets an example of how Thai culture can be promoted on the world stage, like ‘Miffy’ from the Netherlands, or ‘Labubu’ from Hong Kong”.
Butterbear ticks all the boxes when it comes to the characteristics of a successful mascot. She has large brown eyes, a friendly smile, adorable gestures and relatable life stories. Most of all, she is an outstanding dancer.
Fans who attended the meet and greet today also brought her gifts. “She is a real bear. There is no one inside”, her fans said.
Why do ‘humans’ love mascots?
Reports suggest that mascots enable people to build emotional connections.
- Their cuteness is designed to evoke positive feelings, which are associated with happiness and relaxation, making people want to interact with them.
- They are friendly and accessible, making them a perfect tool for communicating complex messages in a simple and informal manner.
- They can create positive and long lasting memories, from marketing, tourism or cultural perspectives, which may help humans reconnect with childhood memories.
- Once consumers develop positive feelings towards a mascot, they will likely have positive feelings towards the brand too.
- They are adaptable to different cultures.
Japan is the home of mascots
With the influence of anime and ‘kawaii culture’, mascots have become an integral part of Japanese culture. They are used for commercial purposes, as well as in education, environmental conservation, disaster prevention and health campaigns.
‘Kumamon’ is an earlier example of a local mascot which went global.
He is a black bear, with large eyes and red cheeks, from ‘Kumamoto’ prefecture. Kumamon made his debut in 2010 to promote tourism. The word ‘kuma’ (くま) means ‘bear’.
Kumamon was very well received in both in Japan and abroad, but his popularity soared when he played an important role in fund raising to support the people of Japan during the large earthquake which devastated Kumamoto prefecture in 2016.
The Thai expression ‘heal jai’ (as in healing the heart) is often used by Thais to convey an emotional respite, and the smiles spreading around ‘Nong Noey’ are possibly an answer to the question of why mascots are cherished across cultures.
