The world of lolita fashion would be a much duller place without its fluffy animal friends. As embodiments of the aesthetic sensibilities of their respective brands, mascots and mascot-like characters have represented the subculture on dresses, cutsews, bags, headwear, novelties, and even shoes. Like lolita fashion itself, these characters are an exercise in harmonious contradictions, sitting on the borders of the cute and the unsettling, the elegant and the outlandish, the sweet and the rebellious. They are our silent, but loyal companions, offering their own quiet encouragement - holding our hearts even if they can't always hold our phones (or keys, or wallets , or books, or anything more than a single tube of lipstick.)
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| Usakumya Rucksack Mini Mini from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, released 2019. Stock image from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, courtesy of Lolibrary. (https://lolibrary.org/items/btssb-usakumya-rucksack-mini-mini-2019) |
This post is a celebration of the iconic mascots of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, Angelic Pretty, and Metamorphose Temps de Fille. I'll be looking into their backstories, the historical inspirations behind the characters, and how they reflect different aspects of the philosophy behind the fashion.
The Kumyas
It's pretty obvious where my bias lies in this discussion. Kumyas, especially Usakumyas, have been an obsession of mine ever since I entered the fashion. Their soft fur, floppy ears, and pensive, doll-like faces are, to me, the epitome of cute, harkening back to the historic teddy bears of Steiff, Gund, and Merrythought. Like these early teddies, the limbs of the Kumya rucksacks are connected by joints rather than sewn on, giving them a slightly sturdier feeling compared to most modern stuffed animals. The original Usakumya also had the same pointed snout and small eyes as teddy bears from the early 20th century, making them look more like an actual bear than their later counterparts.
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| A German teddy bear, probably by Steiff or Bing, ca. 1906-1910. From the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood, UK. (http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85274/teddy-bear-margarete-steiff-gmbh/) |
According to a mook published by Baby, the Stars Shine Bright in 2012, the story of Usakumya is that of a bear who wanted so badly to be a rabbit, that they cried and cried until their eyes turned red. To comfort them, a girl dressed in Baby gave them a bonnet with long, floppy bunny ears. The bear stopped crying, and decided to accompany the girl back to her homeland — a magical kingdom of candy and sweets, where everyone wear Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.
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| Usakumya from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, released 2001. Stock image by Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. Image courtesy of Lolibrary. (https://lolibrary.org/items/btssb-usakumya) |
I've always found it interesting that most non-lolitas that I introduce my Usakumya family to find them unsettling. They say its the eyes, especially the red and pink eyes so iconic to the classic Usakumyas. My room mate is also baffled by the fact that there are bear ears hiding under the bunny-ear hood, and finds the shape and design of their faces somewhat uncanny. In a way, this reflects the reactions that many onlookers have to lolitas themselves — they’re cute but strange, maybe even jarring. They look delicate, feminine, and helpless, but there’s always something more underneath. It speaks to both lolita’s cutesy aesthetic and rebellious spirit.
Punkuma and Rabbitch
Of course, when it comes to the spirit of rebellion in lolita fashion, there are few mascots who come close to Metamorphose's Punkuma and Rabbitch. While these characters don't have nearly as much lore or renown as the Kumyas, they did inspire some of the most iconic Metamorphose pieces of the early-mid 2000s, from Teddy Motors to the Punkuma Camouflage set.
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| Punkuma Camouflage High Waist OP from Metamophose Temps de File, released 2006. Original stock photo by Metamorphose, image courtesay of Lolibrary. (https://lolibrary.org/items/meta-punkuma-camouflage-high-waist-op) |
Punkuma and Rabbitch look more like the kind of characters we're used to seeing in kawaii culture, with relatively simple lines that create an easily recognisable face and silhouette. Of course, there's a lolita twist to all of this - and a distinctively Metamorphose one, at that. Playing on a sense of punk, rock-and-roll, and general ridiculousness, Punkuma and Rabbitch have appeared blended into camouflage, playing in a rock band, as icons in a slot machine, and on the back of jumpsuits. Though their tenure as mascots was relatively short, they certainly got a lot done!
Based on the clothing that they appeared on, it seems likely that one of the inspirations for Punkuma and Rabbitch was mid-20th century Americana and greaser culture. This lines up with the experimentation with different styles, patterns, and fabric, that we see in the designs that feature the duo: the lightweight denim of the Telephone Print skirt series, the quilted lining of the Teddy Motors OP, the boldly embroidered font on the back of the Punkuma Band Bowling Shirt.
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| Punkuma Band Bowling Shirt from Metamorphose Temps de Fille, released 2003. Image courtesy of Lolibrary. (https://lolibrary.org/items/meta-punkuma-band-bowling-shirt) |
More than many other brand mascots, Punkuma and Rabbitch embodied the punk rock attitude inherent in lolita fashion; fitting for a brand that has made a name for itself through its wild and experimental looks. It is a shame that since around 2007, they've stopped appearing on official Metamorphose releases. Some speculate that this was the result of the original designer of the pair, Kato Kuniko, leaving the brand around the same time. Regardless, the iconic duo live in the hearts of lolitas to this day, encouraging us to embrace creativity and find inspiration everywhere.
Lyrical Bunny and Milky-chan the Fawn
Angelic Pretty is a bit more nebulous when it comes to their characters. Over the years, a veritable forest of adorable animals have appeared in the brands rosters, though few have matched the consistent popularity of Lyrical Bunny and Milky-chan the Fawn. For many, these are the characters that embodied the era of 2008-2012 sweet lolita, with its vibrant pastels, princess-like designs, and unapologetically tooth-rotting cuteness.
The designs of these characters take kawaii to almost extreme heights. They assail the senses with their bright colours, huge eyes, soft "babyfaces" and pretty bows, much like the children's toys and cartoon characters of the late 20th century. They remind me of the rubber-faced Rushton dolls that were popular from the 1950s to 1980s - unlike the stuffed animals of yesteryear, these dolls left little to subtlety, choosing cuteness and the aesthetics of girliness over practicality or realism. A fitting inspiration for the brand that pioneered sweet lolita as we know it.
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| A Rushton doll, unknown collection, probably 1950-1960. Image courtesy of Rushton Toys on Wordpress. (https://rushtontoys.wordpress.com/toy-gallery/) |
Angelic Pretty's mascots appeal to the actual nostalgia and childhood memories of modern lolitas. While few of us can claim to own vintage teddy bears or greaser jackets, almost everyone will have seen the likes of Bambi, My Little Pony, Care Bears and Beanie Babies in their youth. As the global nostalgia craze sweeps over lolita fashion, it makes sense that characters that bear such strong resemblances to the pastel accoutrements of the 80s and 90s would see a resurgence, too. Following the return of 2008-2012 era sweet lolita aesthetics, Milky-chan the Fawn sets have started to sell for close to, or more than, their original retail price. Exclusive editions of Lyrical Bunny in Shanghai have been met with great excitement, as have announcements of newer releases featuring similar motifs and characters, like the Moco Moco Bunny series — which includes a special set of dolls' clothes made to fit your Lyrical Bunny.
Like Usakumya, Milky-chan, Lyrical Bunny, and many of Angelic Pretty's other animal characters sit on the precipice of the cute and the creepy. Their bright colours, large anime-esque eyes, and constant smiles might seem tacky or garish to the average observer, but this is no different from how people outside of lolita fashion perceive the loud and unapologetic feminity of sweet lolita in general. They might not fit in with the more toned down aesthetics of the mainstream, but they certainly fit perfectly on an Angelic Pretty JSK.
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| Milky-chan the Fawn Applique JSK from Angelic Pretty, released 2009. Stock image by Angelic Pretty, courtesy of Lolibrary. (https://lolibrary.org/items/ap-milky-chan-the-fawn-applique-jsk) |
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