Leave it to Sanrio to make a character that is equal parts weird and equal parts adorbs. For the uninitiated, the Gudetama character is a lazy, unmotivated egg yolk with an exposed butt–a string of words we thought we’d never use in an actual sentence. The character is a recent addition to the Sanrio universe, currently reigned by none other than the surprisingly opinionated non-cat cat Hello Kitty.
This is Gudetama.
The name Gudetama stems from some sort of Japanese portmanteau of the phrase gude gude ぐでぐで (meaning lazy) and tamago たまご (meaning egg). While obviously cute and delightfully cuddly, many people have interpreted that Gudetama’s surface laziness may actually be a depiction of its crippling depression.
A cute but depressed egg! Now, Gudetama is coming to your nearest Japanese sento (bath house)! As part of a one-of-a-kind collaboration with Sanrio, sento house Gokurakuyu is offering baths filled with 10,000 Gudetamas at two of its branches in Shizuoka and Osaka:
Gudetama-inspired menu and merchandise will also be available. The Gudetama bath opens June 15. InqPOP!/VT
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