Mori Chack

Mori Chack
Born (1973-03-23) March 23, 1973 (age 51)
Sakai, Osaka, Japan
NationalityJapanese
OccupationGraphic designer
Known forChax product line

Mori Chack (森チャック Mori Chakku, born on March 23, 1973 in Sakai, Osaka, Japan) is the artist name of a Japanese graphic designer.

Biography

Chack is famous for his Chax product line, and especially the character Gloomy Bear he created in 2000.[1][2]

Mori Chack also created Podolly (a sheep in a wolf's clothing), and Kumakikai (a silver robot made from a recycled teddy bear).[3] He also drew politically-oriented designs, such as the Statue of Liberty holding a molotov cocktail with the question "Free?".

Gloomy Bear

Stuffed Gloomy Bear toys in a Niigata arcade UFO catcher.

Chack is famous for his Chax product line, and especially the character Gloomy Bear,[1][2] a 2 m tall, violent, pink bear that eats humans. Chack created the character in 2000.[4] The design is an antithesis to the excessively cute products produced by the likes of Disney and Sanrio. The Gloomy Bear is an allegory for Chack's belief that humans and animals are incompatible. The animal is often shown stained with blood and attacking humans.

The origin story of Gloomy Bear is that he was abandoned as a little bear and adopted by Pity (a little boy). The cute bear eventually grew up into an angry adult bear and attacked Pity, explaining its blood stains. However, Pity knew Gloomy was innocent in his violence, and always ended up hugging the bear back despite the savage beating.[5]

A segment on Gloomy Bear and a short interview with Mori Chack are featured in Episode 6 of Series 2 of the BBC Three series Japanorama.[6] The topic of the episode was "Kawaii", which is Japanese for "cute".

The character Gloomy Bear received a TV anime titled Gloomy the Naughty Grizzly in April 2021.[7][8] A one-shot manga titled Gloomy Bear: Apocalyptic Love was released on April 4, 2023.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Mendes, Pedro (May 11, 2005). "Vinyl Fantasy". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on December 5, 2005.
  2. ^ a b Heller, Steven (January 26, 2007). "Review: I Am Plastic - Culture - International Herald Tribune". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "GLOOMY公式サイト" [Gloomy Bear Official Site] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  4. ^ a b Hazra, Adriana (March 28, 2023). "Azuki Launches Gloomy Bear: Apocalyptic Love Manga in English on April 4". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Dale, Joshua Paul; Goggin, Joyce; Leyda, Julia; McIntyre, Anthony; Negra, Diane (2016-12-08). The Aesthetics and Affects of Cuteness. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-33130-8.
  6. ^ "BBC - Press Office - BBC THREE Autumn 2006: Entertainment". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  7. ^ "Mori Chack's original character Gloomy Bear receiving TV anime". thExtend. December 28, 2020.[unreliable source?]
  8. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 28, 2020). "Gloomy Bear Character Gets TV Anime in April 2021". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2023.