Pi-po-chan, the mascot of Tokyo Police

Konnichiwa, Mina-san,
anyone can tell me anything else about Pi-po-chan the mouse, koban's mascot? Where does he (?) come from, and when was he born and when did he start to live in the koban boxes? I really loved the one on... where was it, in Asakusa? - a huuuuge fluffy toy wrapped in a plastic bag, sitting inside a koban. And covered by dust.
Bye! Irena (the pic is only because I'm getting hungry at this very moment - unrelated... except to Asakusa )

...promoting peace, unity and harmony.

If you were asked to guess whom the mascot representing the Tokyo Police Department was, whom would you answer? Would you say it was Mr. Koizumi, Japan's Prime Minister or the chief of Tokyo Police? If you were to answer both, you couldn't be further from the truth. The Tokyo Police Department's mascot is Pi-Po chan - a giant animated mouse wearing a police uniform! If the NYPD were to use an animated character as their representative of law and order it would certainly arouse public curiosity! Using a mascot such as Pi-Po chan could somehow lead masses to question the NYPD's reputed macho disposition. For the Japanese though, Pi-Po chan gives the Tokyo Police a favorable image within the community, promoting peace, unity and harmony.

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=> http://www.finex.co.jp/10kawaii.html

=> http://www.yk.rim.or.jp/~nishiy_e/nippon/pipo.html

Perhaps some of our J-resident members know more about Pi-Po-chan's origins.

Thanks a lot!
Gosh, I really need to learn Japanese, and fast There are links, links, and more links there!
..and what's the name of that yellow "Police Seagull" of Kanagawa? (or, just a "Police Seagul, I guess... but I can only read what's there in English)
Does anyone remember when Pi po -chan started to live in Tokyo? (90's? 80-'s? 70's? 2000s?)
And does Pi-po means anything? (or is it just a sound a mouse makes?)
Do you know any of Pi po-chan's ancestors?

Hm, not a lot of resources on Pi-Po-chan to be found...

Pi-Po being the noise police cars make in Japanese.

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Konnichiwa Irena-san!

At first, he is "Pi-po kun" but not "pi-po chan". He was born in April 17, 1987.
"Pi-po" is compound word of people(The Japanese pronounce "Pi-puru") and police. But I think "Pi-po" came from the noise of police cars at first. The noise "Pi-po Pi-po" means police cars or ambulance car in Japan.

"Pi-po kun" is mascot of Tokyo police. And mascot of Kanagawa is "Pi-Gull". This is compound word of people(The Japanese pronounce "Pi-puru") and seagull. Because there is big port in Kanagawa.

And my prefecture police mascot is this. He is mascot of Hyogo police. His name is "Kohei kun". "Kouhei" means impartiality in Japanese, and "Kou" come from "Kounotori". Kounotori means a stork in Japanese and original model of "Kohei kun" is a stork . And "Hei" come from "Heiwa". Heiwa means peace in Japanese.

NANGI

And people in Japan still take their policeforce seriously?

Domo arigato gozaimasu, Nangi-san to Thomas-san!
Oh, of course, he must be Pi-po-kun if he is a boy.. I just believed what I have read in the att.Japan magazine (they said he's a Pi-po-chan)
Well, this would be kawaii if a police maskot would be a girl... or a sissy boy... (^-^) ...but if he's a boyish mouse boy I do like it, too

Mina-san! Konnichiwa!
As you can tell from my avatar, I really like the kawaii culture.
So, few more questions, if you don't mind.

I myself collect rabbits (figures and images of rabbits), so I wonder is there a Pi-USAGI-kun Police mascot there, in any Prefecture? Or any creature similar to a rabbit?

As it is a mistake to call a Police maskot Pi-po-CHAN, is it a BIG mistake? I mean - if the maskots are similar to "young boys" (as they are called "-kun") , is it imaginable for a Japanese people to have a Police maskot which would be a little BABY (toddler) mouse, or a little girl mouse (-chan), or THIS would be strange? A weird and stupid question, maybe, but I'll ask it anyway. Just a gaijin question (^-^)
And - is there any specific animal-connected symbolism on the side of Yakuza? (in their tatoos, maybe,I don't know what else...). Any traces of kawaii culture THERE?
Ja mata ne! Irena

Konnichiwa Twisted-san! Irena-san!

And people in Japan still take their policeforce seriously?

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I think that the Japanese don't take policeforce seriously at superficially. But most of all Japanese regard the police as wrongdoer. Because they arrest only the weak but not big criminal, and police man with a high position is stained with corruption. And they never assent to their mistake.

Some of police man are steady and honest. But most of all other police man are spiritless, haughtiness and exclusive(even to a well behaved citizen).:auch:

But I can feel sympathy for their spiritless, haughtiness and exclusive, because occupation of police is very hard.
Sorry, this is my opinion.

I myself collect rabbits (figures and images of rabbits), so I wonder is there a Pi-USAGI-kun Police mascot there, in any Prefecture? Or any creature similar to a rabbit?

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Do you know "Shiawase Usagi" in Anime "Kuma no Pu-tarou"?

As it is a mistake to call a Police maskot Pi-po-CHAN, is it a BIG mistake?

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Of course it is not BIG mistake but police staff want to be called -kun but not -chan. Because it is POLICE maskot. Police mission is a guard of civil life. "-kun" is sounded cute and strong, but "-chan" is sounded cute and weak to Japanese.

And - is there any specific animal-connected symbolism on the side of Yakuza? (in their tatoos, maybe,I don't know what else...). Any traces of kawaii culture THERE?

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Yakuza like a strong animal as like a dragon or tiger. But I never heard about kawaii culture with Yakuza.

NANGI

Nangi-san!
Domo arigato gozaimasu!!

Thank you so much for the Shiawase Usagi shampoo bottle. Kawaii desu ne!
No, I don't know the Kuma Pu-taro & Shiawase Usagi anime, but I guess that's the manga a gaijin friend of mine has seen when lurking into somebody else's book while on a train in Tokyo (^-^) I was really disappointed that she couldn't wait until a girl finishes the reading and leaves the manga in a litter box or somewhere (so the friend could pick it up for me) (^-^)

I can't find much about it in the web, Nangi-san - do you know a link where I can learn about the character?
I only found few pictures, and an RPG-game page:
www.blackbird.nu/fanfics/it/it_p2.txt
which says:
"{*In case you don't know (which is likely), Kuma no Pu-taro is a Japanese kid's
cartoon, starring a sadistic, lecherous, gluttonous bear named Pu-taro, along
with his cohorts, Myuu, Shiawase Usagi ("Happy Bunny"), Ushi, Kami-sama, and
several other wierdos"... (I guess I would like the anime)

As about STRONG animals - isn't a rabbit VERY strong? I remember a story (a fairy tale) I've heard in Tokyo about Tanuki and Usagi. That was a revenge story. I later found it in a book "The Rabit saves the Day" by Ayako Obara and Yasutaka Hyakuta.
By the way - if you know the story - would you say THAT rabbit is "kawaii" (I still try to figure out what exactly this word means in Japanese, i.e. when is it used)."...


Ja mata ne!

Konnichiwa Irena-san!

I can't find much about it in the web, Nangi-san - do you know a link where I can learn about the character?

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I have searched Shiawase Usagi information already, but I could not find too, sorry.

As about strong animals - isn't a rabbit VERY strong? I remember a story (a fairy tale) I've heard in Tokyo about Tanuki and Usagi. That was a revenge story. I later found it in a book "The Rabit saves the Day" by Ayako Obara and Yasutaka Hyakuta.

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Ummm... I think rabbit is not strong... Of course I know "Tanuki and Usagi". This story is very famous story as "Kachi Kachi Yama". The Usagi is very sly in this story but I don't think that Usagi is strong...

By the way - if you know the story - would you say THAT rabbit is "kawaii" (I still try to figure out what exactly this word means in Japanese, i.e. when is it used).

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I think that Usagi is sly but not cute in "Kachi Kachi Yama".

NANGI

Konnichiwa again, Nangi-san!
Thank you!
I hope I will just find the Shiawase Usagi manga in Tokyo, if there is nothing online...
Thank you, again.
Ja mata ne!