McDonald’s Japan asks people making fanart of their cute anime mascot to “mind their manners and have common sense”

To advertise their latest burger, McDonald’s Japan is using a cute, anime-style mascot, but warning people to be respectful with fanart.

McDonald’s in Japan is a bit different to the fast-food chain in the USA and other countries, often having unusual, limited-time menu options, accompanied by equally unusual marketing campaigns. To advertise their latest burger, McDonald’s Japan is using a cute, anime-style mascot, however, they have preemptively warned people to be respectful when making fanart and other derivative content of her. 

Post translation: Nice to meet you, I’m Samurai Tamago Tabemi. I’ll only be around for a short time, but let’s get along! 
Follow-up post: A request from Samurai Tamago Tabemi: I’m happy that you are drawing me! However, please mind your manners and have common sense. 

The new mascot is called Samurai Tamago Tabemi (Samurai Egg Burger-eating Beauty). Dressed in an outfit that mixes samurai clothing elements with schoolgirl socks and skirt, she is advertising McDonald’s new Samurai Burger that features a beef patty with lettuce, bacon, egg and cheese (she even has a song).  

She is a variation of McDonald’s previous mascot Ima Dake Dabuchi Tabemi, who wears a modified McDonald’s uniform and promoted the Double Cheeseburger. Ima Dake Dabuchi Tabemi captured the imaginations of the fanart community, for example – Japanese fanart site pixiv has over 1300 drawings of her. 

The new version of Tabemi is also accompanied by a hamster character, who has gained a samurai helmet this time. From their warning tweet, it seems McDonald’s Japan is welcoming and expecting fanart of Tabemi’s Samurai version, however, they also warn against inappropriate homages, which naturally includes erotic fanart of Tabemi. 

Related article: Japan Air Self Defense Force’s furry mascots stir up controversy among Japanese politicians 

Verity Townsend
Verity Townsend

Automaton West Editor and translator. She has a soft spot for old-school Sierra adventure games and Final Fantasy VIII (yes, 8!). Can often be found hunting down weird forgotten games and finding out everything about them. Frequently muses about characters and lines from Metal Gear Solid and Disco Elysium. Aims to keep Automaton fresh and interesting with a wide variety of articles.

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