The Suica mascot campaign is getting weird … and wonderful
Japan's online masses have rallied around a purple rabbit, raising questions about who really decides Suica's future.
The penguin mascot of Suica, the smart card system, is set to retire at the end of March 2027. To fill the role, JR East, the operator of the system, introduced three new candidates - a cheerful squirrel, a purple rabbit-like creature, and an orange character carrying a tiny mole in a sling bag. The online reaction to these replacements was a mix of shock and disappointment.
Many social media users expressed their preference for keeping the penguin mascot, with even professional designers criticizing the new candidates as poor design choices. However, the internet quickly rallied behind the most unusual of the three, with users expressing a preference for the quirky orange character.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
