Mashimaro (마시마로) is a Korean fictional character who resembles a fat rabbit, created by Kim Jae In (김재인). He is also known as Yupki Tokki (엽기토끼, "Weird rabbit" in Korean). He debuted in a series of Flash animations (mostly without any dialogue, although the occasional word of Korean or English is present) on the internet. Mashimaro is far more often seen in merchandise, similar to Hello Kitty. (Mashimaro would in fact be best described as Korea's answer to Sanrio.) Mashimaro merchandise can be found on the internet and in Korean communities around the world.
| Mashimaro | |
| Hangul | 마시마로 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Masimaro |
| McCune–Reischauer | Masimaro |
The original Mashimaro cartoons are full of toilet humour, and some of this is also to be found in the merchandise. Mashimaro himself is often portrayed with a plunger stuck to his head. In contrast to other hyper-cute iconic characters, such as Hello Kitty, Mashimaro is portrayed as a bit of a thug, who is not above using violence to impose his will on others.
Mashimaro also has a look-alike, Chocomaro, who is brown. Chocomaro appears in two parodies of "Mashimaro" Episodes, including Episodes 2 and 3. Chocomaro tries to do what Mashimaro would normally do in these episodes, but always messes them up and ends up getting hurt. It is unknown exactly what relationship Chocomaro shares with Mashimaro, but most believe that he is the brother of Mashimaro.
The name "Mashimaro" came from the creator's niece/nephew mispronouncing the word "marshmallow".