Culture Clash: Why a lazy egg is my new hero
What? Why?
Ok. Let's start with some context. Although I can't remember where I came across this tiny grumpy egg, I know I fell in love immediately. As a perpetual over-achiever, I liked the idea of saying “Meh!” to society’s encouragement to be fitter, happier, and more productive.
It aligned perfectly with a lesson I was trying to teach myself in that moment(slow the f$%k down). So I promptly bought a shirt to declare my loyalty and oftentimes can be found at a cafe in Chiang Mai cuddling this egg with an attitude problem.
I believe we can all learn a thing or two from Gudetama; he is the antihero that millennials in both Japan and beyond need right now; an exaggerated—egg-aggerated, even—caricature of Gen-Y apathy that lets us laugh at laziness.
TL;DR Version of the Gudetama craze
Don't feel like reading the post? This video below sums things up pretty well...
Who is Gudetama?
Meet Gudetama, the anthropomorphic embodiment of severe depression.
Gudetama is a cartoon egg yolk that feels existence is almost unbearable. It shivers with sadness. It clings to a strip of bacon as a security blanket. Rather than engage in society, it jams its face into an eggshell and mutters and grumbles, complains and sighs.
Did I mention he also is known for his tiny egg butt
How did a sad little egg win so many Japanese hearts?
With catchphrases such as “Pah,” “Ugh,” “Meh,” “Never mind,” “Leave me alone,” “I can’t,” and “Seriously, I can’t,” he personifies millennials as seen through the eyes of older generations. His most famous snippet shows him pulling his blanket—which is a strip of bacon—to his chin and mumbling, “Five more minutes…”
“Eggs are yummy… boiled, baked or raw. There are many ways to make an egg, but eggs are so lazy (gude gude in Japanese). Look closely and you will see the eggs that you eat lack spunk.”
And what better symbol is there for youth than an egg, literally unborn?
Gudetama has the potential to be whatever he wants, but instead he chooses to disengage. He is the youth of today saying “Pah!” to society’s encouragement to be fitter, happier, and more productive.
What does Gudetama’s appeal reveal about Japan’s culture?
Japan’s affinity for strange creates goes back pre Hello Kitty with their root in Shinto gods. The concept that inanimate objects can be inhabited by souls infuses the entire mascot culture. That’s not to say Japanese people think there’s a little soul inside an egg. It’s just that there’s a cultural base there.
Many Japanese mascots will express emotions that Western mascots would not. In the West, mascots are used almost exclusively to cheer people up and be cute. In Japan, they’re often used to get a point across or act as mediators in situations where you wouldn’t want to express yourself directly.
Until next time,
crypthoe.