Gudetama is simply delicious and versatile, it goes well both at breakfast and lunch and is one of the most loved and consumed foods in the world. But, what is Gudetama?
Well, he is a Japanese anime character, very famous for his apathetic and unmotivated personality.
Gudetama is a raw egg, more specifically an egg yolk and is usually depicted lying in his bed (the egg white) always with a clear lack of enthusiasm.
In this article, we will learn a little more about this yolk that has won millions of fans around the world, its origins, its impact on culture, and why it became a phenomenon.
Table of Contents
Who came first, Gudetama or …?
This lazy yolk is the creation of Japanese designer Nagashima Emi (永嶋瑛美). After another long day of work preparing an egg for dinner, Emi, noticing the appearance of the soft yolk that he found cute, soon thought about how that yolk resembled today’s youth – lacking energy.
It was thinking about this that Emi created Gudetama, our lazy and energy-less yolk. In 2013, the company Sanrio organized a character creation competition based on foods in which Gudetama participated.
What was the result? Well, Gudetama managed to come in second place in the competition, losing only to a salmon called Kirimichan.
But that was not the end of our unmotivated yolk. The Gudetama cartoon became so popular that it surpassed the market value of its rival Salmon Kirimichan and gained fans all over the world.
What does Gudetama mean?
The name Gudetama is the combination of two words. The first is a Japanese onomatopoeia gudegude [グデグデ] that evokes the impression of something lazy and lacking energy, like a dead drunk. The second word refers to the egg which in Japanese is written as tamago [卵].
Gudetama, the personification of the millennial generation
You might wonder, how did such a depressed, unmotivated character with no expectations about life become so successful?
The answer is that Gudetama, as mentioned in the article, was inspired by today’s youth. A generation with little expectations, tired and bored. It’s not hard to understand why young people can relate to him so much.
This raw egg yolk doesn’t seem to care about the aspects of life that people place so much value on. Instead, it is immersed in its bed (the egg white) and covered with its blanket (the bacon) in a “contagious” depressive state. How can you not fall in love?
What certainly stands out about Gudetama is not the fact that he is an egg yolk, but his atypical personality and his appeal to our laziest and most passive desires.
A Little About the Gudetama Anime
With the great success of Gudetama, he soon made his debut as an anime on Japanese TV TBS in 2014. The animations are about 1 minute long and have a very simple art style, I would even say somewhat childish, with few lines and not much complexity.
The episodes mostly revolve around Gudetama being prepared to be served as food, usually always interacting with a third party (human) or with other eggs.
This interaction, as suggested by Gudetama’s already mentioned personality, is expressed as: a lot of laziness, discouragement, and many other synonyms that can describe a passive being.
Despite the anime presenting a strange premise, it is a success and has managed to gain the attention of the public, winning many fans. Moreover, Gudetama has become a very profitable market, and we will talk about that later.
Gudetama Characters
Besides Gudetama, the animation contains a variety of characters, but now we will list some of the most relevant characters from the anime.
Gyudechama
She is an egg white that looks very similar to Gudetama, but has a lighter yellow color, and her face looks much cuter than Gudetama’s.
Gyudechama has a personality quite opposite to that of Gudetama, who is lazy and energy-less. She is always showing optimism towards life and brimming with energy.
Guretama
He is a spoiled egg, grayish-yellow with an angry expression on his face and has some stinky purple clouds around his body.
Guretama has a not very pleasant personality, he is more irritable and grumpy than Gudetama.
Shakipiyo
Shakipiyo is a chick that hatched from a fertile egg, has yellow feathers and wears a pink eggshell as clothing.
He is a very lively character and is convinced that he can fly despite being just a chick. Next to Shakipiyo, Gudetama feels repressed due to his hyperactivity.
Satoru
He is one of the human characters in the anime, has a strong identification with Gudetama for being equally lazy but also feels resentful for being compared to him.
Satoru is a young university student and a friend of Gudetama, has a common appearance, white, with brown hair and eyes and a slender-looking body.
Stuffed Animals, Accessories, and Much More!
Gudetama has turned into a very profitable market, from themed establishments to school supplies, stuffed animals, clothing, and various other products.
Among the establishments, there are various themed Gudetama restaurants around the world, such as in Japan, Singapore, China, and London. The entire theme is based on the character Gudetama, from the decoration to the dishes served.
The success was so great that just two years after the launch of Gudetama, more than 2,000 different types of products featuring the character were shipped to Japan.
Conclusion
Did you enjoy learning a little about Gudetama? It’s no wonder that Gudetama became so successful; if you are part of the millennial generation, you certainly identified with our beloved lazy yolk.
Gudetama succeeded because it managed to connect with the somewhat apathetic feeling towards the future that many young people are feeling, and in addition, it manages to transform this into a very strange humor that captures our attention.
If you like raw, boiled, or fried eggs and have a very unique sense of humor, you can be sure that the episodes of about 1 minute of Gudetama will entertain you a lot.
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