What is Binchotan? Oddly enough it refers to a kind of charcoal used in Japan… and for whatever reason, at some point someone decided to make a mascot for it to promote its use, I suppose.
The character that resulted from this campaign is an orphaned girl who lives alone after the passing of her grandmother. A series of animated shorts was made around her story and a few other charcoal mascots a few years back.
This gashapon actually accompanied a little comic book released a few years ago. It’s exceptionally well made and is adapted from a scene in that animated series whereby the little girl takes on an odd job in a school pushing around the food cart. Here she puts the uneaten food back in the slop bucket, but the sad irony is that the disposed food is far better than what she normally eats.
Anyways, love this completely bizarre character because she’s simple, kind, pitiable and orphaned. It’s also an interesting story where mascot becomes anime and toy after the fact. This isn’t unlike what happened with Vocaloids and is a very interesting model overall in terms of creating “looks” before “story.” I’d like to take this approach someday with a few projects and characters of mine.
For more information on Binchotan, you can check out http://www.charcoalhead.com/about/
