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Myaku-Myaku and the Year of the Mascot
The multi-eyed character was an unexpected star of the Osaka Expo and underscores the power of mascots – if done right.
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Myaku-Myaku, the mascot of the 2025 Osaka Expo, turned out to be a big hit despite initial doubts about its looks.
PHOTO: AFP
Gearoid Reidy
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At the start of 2025, one of the biggest questions in Japan was if Osaka’s World Expo, a multibillion-dollar project under intense media scrutiny, would succeed.
It did – but perhaps not for the reason anyone expected. Visitor numbers slightly undershot targets, but the event turned a larger-than-expected profit thanks to one thing: a blue-and-red multi-eyed Lovecraftian terror named Myaku-Myaku.
