Kumamon rejected as 2020 Olympic torch runner for not being human

I'd suggest Kumamon should be considered in the same way.

Disney Land isn't the Olympics, what next put Bolt in a Kumamon costume and let him run the 200m again, if he wins who do you award the medal to Bolt or Kumamon!? The Olympics is about real life athletes coaches and those that support them, the torch relay should be run by those people past and present.

Good. A commercial character mascot, no matter how popular, shouldn't take the place on the relay of a more deserving local citizen, athlete, etc.

Things like these make Japan childish but also interesting.

Hahaha,

Yubaru

I like Kumamon a lot, but he is absolutely a commercial character. You could argue that he isn't commercial if he only generated profit for official government entities or NPOs associated with Kumamoto Prefecture, but because anyone, even people outside of Kumamoto or even overseas can use him to generate profit for their private businesses, it absolutely is commercial. Kumamon is not human, is not real. Whoever thought it was a good idea to even ask the Olympic Committee about this is an idiot.

Who honestly really gives a tass about the Olympics?

Good. A commercial character mascot, no matter how popular, shouldn't take the place on the relay of a more deserving local citizen, athlete, etc.

He is technically not a commercial character. He is just like the Olympic mascots themselves. THe unique part about him is that the prefecture, Kumamoto, allows the image to be used free of charge, hence the misconception about him.

I used to work at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, and often ate at the employee canteen (most of the kitchens are below ground with the food shuttled by dumbwaiters, so we ate the same hamburgers and fries as the guests did). Outside the canteen was a rack where the characters could hang their costumes - even the "face actors" - Snow White, etc. - would hang their costumes on the rack to prevent staining their costumes. They'd wander around in their white long underwear and were demonstrably human.

I'd suggest Kumamon should be considered in the same way.

So Kumamon's formal job title is sales manager, but does he do his business in the woods?

terrible news... Kumamon is do adorable!