Elucidation of Factors Predicting the Impression of “Yuru-sa” in Japanese Yuru-kyara Mascot Characters

Abstract

In recent years, “Yuru-kyara” mascots, a class of mascot characters popularized by their characteristic of “yuru-sa”, have played important roles in the promotions of regional events and products. Although previous studies implicated the importance of structural and emotional factors for yuru-sa in Yuru-kyara mascots, it is unclear what factors affect or predict the impression of yuru-sa in these mascots. Here we examined structural and emotional factors that predict the yuru-sa impression in Yuru-kyara mascots. The independent t-tests and multiple regression analyses revealed that the factors of “childlikeness” and “friendliness” may correlate with a stronger impression of yuru-sa. Furthermore, we found that altering the ratio or size of structural factors showed different levels of the yuru-sa impression on the perceivers. We propose that our results may facilitate the design of Yuru-kyara mascots to be more appealing and effective in promoting brand images of local communities.