Myaku-Myaku, the multieyed, red-and-blue blob serving as the official mascot for Expo 2025 in Osaka, has become more than just a face of the event — it’s become the blueprint. Walk the grounds for more than five minutes and you’ll see it: Countries from around the globe have brought their own mascots to the party, and many of them owe a debt to Japan’s particular flavor of character culture.
Take Australia. Ruby the Roo, the plush kangaroo with a rather diplomatic smile, holds down greeting duties while her comrade, Koko the Koala, presumably naps offstage. Outside the German pavilion, a white blob named Circular, cheeks blushing a delicate peach — and somehow representing the circular economy — waddles out to greet excited visitors. Behind it, a Beethoven doppelganger mugs for selfies with the crowd.
Mascots at world expos aren’t a new thing, and some nations in Osaka have wisely highlighted their own existing creations — Miffy, the minimalist Dutch bunny, makes an appearance at the Netherlands pavilion. But the wave of new mascots debuting in Osaka feels particularly indebted to Japan’s approach: cute, weird, merch-ready. Nowhere is this more obvious than Italy’s Italia-chan, a sparkly eyed anime girl clearly designed with Japanese aesthetics in mind.
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