Goodbye Pikachu Rip-Off! It's Been Fun.

Earlier this month, Japanese netizens noticed that a mascot created to promote the [[link]] environment in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture looked a helluva lot like Pikachu. https://kotaku.com/is-this-a-pikachu-ripoff-5826830 The character’s name is Eco-chan and [[link]] was unveiled late last year. When the character’s wearable suit was created, a city staffer said that it looked like Pikachu. However, the person who did the original illustration apparently had never heard of Pikachu.(new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c&cid=872d12ce-453b-4870-845f-955919887e1b'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c" }).render("79703296e5134c75a2db6e1b64762017"); }); Then the Japanese TV news media noticed. And now, Pokémon noticed [[link]] because as of this week, the prefecture will no longer use the wearable Eco-chan costume. The character’s illustration will continue to be used, however, to raise awareness of the environment and ripping people off. https://kotaku.com/silly-excuses-for-pikachu-ripoff-5827642 エコハちゃん 着ぐるみは使わず、市が方針 – 宇部日報 [宇部日報] (Top photo: オレ的) You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.