On Feb. 20 Kumamoto Prefecture announced that estimated sales of products bearing the likeness of its local mascot, Kumamon, reached ¥29.36 billion in 2012, a more than elevenfold jump over the previous year’s mark. The announcement also made note of a deal for karaoke giant Daiichi Kosan to begin offering the Kumamon taiso (calisthenics) song in March. Sales were tallied by adding all of the figures reported by licensed vendors, with 1,172 of companies 2,112 responding. Sales of food items jumped sixteenfold to ¥24.6 billion, while merchandise sales climbed by a factor of six to ¥2.6 billion.
“If you consider the publicity Kumamoto has received, I think the effect is worth around ¥100 billion,” remarked Governor Seishi Kohyama. The karaoke version of “Kumamoto Surprise!”, the musical calisthenics featuring Kumamon, will be released on Mar. 12, which is both the anniversary of the Kyushu Shinkansen line’s full opening and Kumamon’s birthday. According to Daiichi Kosan, this is the company’s first time to add a song featuring a local mascot. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Feb. 21