Gloomy Bear and Pitty
[pics: (flickr.com) (vinyl-creep.net) (images.google.com)]
Mori Chack is the artist name of a Japanese graphic designer, who was born in Sakai, Osaka, Japan in 1973. He is famous for his Chax product line, especially Gloomy Bear, a 2m tall, violent, pink bear that eats humans. The design is an antithesis to the excessively cute products produced by Disney, Sanrio's Hello Kitty, and other companies.* Mori Chack believes that humans and animals are incompatible, and an animal is wild by nature. This is expressed most pronouncedly by the Gloomy Bear, which is often shown blood stained and striking humans. Gloomy Bear is also available in different colors with slightly different designs. (vinyl-creep.net)
Chax.net
Mori Chack began his artistic career as a street artist, selling original character postcards and stickers on the streets of Osaka from 2000 to 2001.
Chack's trademark deceptively cute characters serve to deliver his personal brand of satirical humor and commentary on the world's contradictions and social issues.
Chack currently lives in Tokyo.
"CHAX" is a generic name for all products and world views created by Mori Chack.
Gloomy Bear set
Gloomy, an abandoned little bear, is rescued by Pitty (the little boy). At first, he is cute and cuddly, but becomes more wild as he grows up. Since bears do not become attached to people like dogs by nature, Gloomy attacks Pitty even though he is the owner. So Gloomy has blood on him from biting and/or scratching Pitty.
Beyond the logic and shock value of Gloomy Bear there’s just something really cool about him. Even if he’s not covered in blood, just the sight of his claws lets you know who’s boss and that has certainly resonated with people. Sales of Gloomy merchandise have been strong in, and out, of Japan for years and continue to be boosted with new types of bears, including robo-gloomy and camouflage-gloomy, and with notebooks, mugs, giant fluffy wearable arms, etc it just keeps going.
I keep an original pink Gloomy Bear on my desk at work, complete with blood, because he’s cool and because I love the reactions from co-workers when they realize what’s dripping from him. “Hey cute bear you’ve got th…HOLY CRAP! Oh man that’s awesome!” Yeah, it is awesome, and if you don’t think so, well, you can take it up with the bear. (The Tokyo Otaku)
GloomyBear.net
