- Kigurumi
Nihongo|Kigurumi|着ぐるみ is the Japanese name for
costume d animal characters. The name comes from the Japanese verb Nihongo|"kiru"|着る|to wear and noun Nihongo|"nuigurumi"|ぬいぐるみ|stuffed toy. These suited performers are sometimes found atshopping mall s,theme parks , and booths atanime convention s.Disneyland costumed characters such asMickey Mouse and costumed "mascot" characters at sports events are referred to as "kigurumi" by the Japanese. Sometimes these characters are to entertain children, sometimes as promotional tactics to grab attention on busy city streets.Ganguro , a Japanese fashion style, also involves kigurumi costumes. Popular costumes include: panda,Pikachu ,Pooh Bear ,Hello Kitty , elephant, dinosaur, dog, cow, pig, and cat.Anime character kigurumi
A subset of kigurumi with a particular attraction to the
otaku andcosplay community is anime kigurumi cosplay, which involves the portrayal of more humanoid characters by means of masks and bodysuits (called azentai ). A performer of this style is often called a "Doller". Dollers perform in Japan on stage, usually to promote ananime or in children's shows (such as the popularTokyo Mew Mew ). However, over time Kigurumi has become more popular in Japan and has reached North America as well.The outfits consist of a full bodysuit that covers the whole body, usually a fleshtone color. Performers use an open face suit so they can see through the eye holes in the mask. Then they wear the character's costume with accessories. Some characters are not based on any particular anime, so they may use regular clothing as well. Finally, the kigurumi mask covers the head, and a wig completes the look.
Animal pajama
Full-body animal
pajama with hoods or hats styled after animals are also called Kigurumi, but do not have the same "costume" connotation as the full-body suits. They are worn non-commercially and are another form of Japanese street fashion. People who choose to wear kigurumi in public are often referred to as "kigurumin", and the consumer-level costumes they tend to wear are known as "disguise pajama". The suits, which can be bought from several different companies, are made in the style of full-body or semi-full-body pajamas resembling animals or popular characters. The hoods or caps on these pajamas do not cover the face. These pajama often include many various animals that are considered to look cute. The full body pajama suits often tend to be made of a thin material and hang loosely on the body as compared to the commercially worn "costume" connotation of kigurumi. The most popular kigurumi pajama clothes includebears ,cats ,dogs ,rabbits , and other animals to that nature. Some are even animal characters taken from T.V. shows, anime, and other movies. The most common ones arePokémon creatures, i.e. Pikachu, etc;InuYasha animals, i.e. Kirara; and even someDisney movie characters including Jack Skellington fromTim Burton 'sNightmare Before Christmas , Stitch fromLilo and Stitch , and other characters to that nature.Fursuit
In English-speaking countries, kigurumi would be considered "animal costumes", "
mascot costumes", or "fursuits", depending on the context. Fursuits are costumes made to resemble animal characters for fandom purposes, particularly within thefurry fandom .ee also
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Cosplay
* Modern Japanese fashionExternal links
* [http://www.medicopress.com/kigurumi Japanese Custom Kigurumi company]
* [http://community.livejournal.com/kigurumin/profile Kigurumin Community] onLivejournal : Community specifically dedicated to Animal Pajama culture and fashion.
* [http://www.kigurumi.biz/ Japanese Custom Kigurumi Shop] with workflow documentary ( [http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ja_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.kigurumi.biz%2findex.html translation] )
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