Authority cuteness

Cute renditions of Jizo Buddhist statures adorn a train safety poster

Jizo Buddhist statures are the guardians of children and travelers. This Tokyo train station poster employs kawaii versions to advise people to line up on the platform in a state of meditative calm.

Road construction barriers - this time they’re rabbits

Cute images are often used to tell people what to do in Japan. This “authority cuteness,” as Brian McVeigh terms it, softens warnings and prohibitions to make them more acceptable. Road construction barriers that incorporate various cute animals are everywhere.

Kenketsu-chan encourages people to donate blood

Public and government organizations rely on cute mascots to innocuously assert their authority. The blood donation mascot Kenketsu-chan has big, shiny blood droplets for ears. Toei Transportation’s Minkuru looks like one of the company’s ubiquitous busses. Pipo-kun, the mascot for the Tokyo Police, keeps his huge eyes and ears peeled for trouble. The antenna on his head allows him to call for help.