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smart Electric Cars Turned into "Pichon-kun" Mascots in Japan

Everybody knows that you can't sell anything in Japan unless it's got an anime character, not even useful household appliances. It's the Japanese way of doing business and we can't mess with it in any way, but we can tell you the story of Mercedes-Benz Japan's recent involment with a mascot called "Pichon-kun".
smart Electric Cars Turned into "Pichon-kun" Mascots in Japan 18 photos
Photo: car.watch.impress.co.jp
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Based on a water droplet, this is the mascot of a company called Daikin which asked Mercedes to make a fleet of these funky little smart electric drives. With a pointy bit on the top of the roof and a funny face on the side, the smart will probably cause hilarity wherever they go.

In case you haven't heard of them, Daikin Industries is a Japanese air conditioning manufacturer based in Osaka, where this event was held. It's a big company with over 40,000 people working for it, a global player by any measure.

These smart cars have been rebranded "Smarpy". You can see one above, standing next to the mascot and Mine Azusa, a Japanese model/actress who appears in their commercials.

So, who is this enigmatic little creature that smart felt needed to be on their cars in Japan? Well, here's the description we found on Daikin's website. We think it pretty much says it all!

Introducing Pichonkun

A mascot that will now represent the Daikin's innovative thrust into the future. Called "Pichonkun", the new mascot of Daikin is so named because of the sound it makes. Created in Japan, this dew droplet represents the "fresh as morning nature" of Daikin's new range of air conditioners and air-purifiers. Pichon-kun symbolises the best of nature -- fresh, natural and eco-friendly.

Date of Birth: Since water existed on Earth
Age:I've forgotten!
Sex: I refer to myself as male but really I don't know
Address: All over the world
Occupation: To appear in TV commercials for Daikin
Vital States:About 15cm tall
My head is a bit big and heavy so I tend to hunch.
Because of the shape of my head, some people say
I look like an alien.
Personality:Carefree, I go at my own pace.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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