IM [Internet Museum] (https://www.museum.or.jp/, hereafter referred to as "IM"), a museum information website operated by Tanseisha, closed voting for the Museum Character Awards 2025, which determines the most popular museum character in Japan, at 12:00 on September 4th, and announced the final results.
The winner of the Grand Prix for 2025, receiving 24,083 votes out of a total of 137,516, was "Kanazawa Yukarin" from "Yokohama City Kanazawa Zoo" (Kanagawa Prefecture). Second place went to "Shachibee" from "Kumamoto Museum" (Kumamoto Prefecture), and third place went to "Cosmo Hoshimaru" from "Tsukuba Expo Center" (Ibaraki Prefecture).
The voting results have been published in IM (https://www.museum.or.jp/museum-chara/2025/result), and a special feature on the Grand Prix: Visiting Yokohama City Kanazawa Zoo will be published at a later date.
This year marks the 16th anniversary of the competition, which began in 2010, and 68 theaters participated, six more than last year. Kanazawa Yukari, who has been participating since 2013, had been ranked in double digits for a long time, but she steadily improved her ranking, coming in 8th place in 2023 and 4th place in 2024, and finally took home the crown.
The victory of Kanazawa Yukarin, affectionately known as the pink "Koala Fairy," marks the third consecutive year that an animal-themed character has won the award. It is also the first time in the 16th year that a zoo character has come out on top.
Tanseisha will continue to deepen the bond between museums and fans through the operation of "IM," thereby contributing to improving the value of cultural facilities and realizing a more colorful society.
What is "IM [Internet Museum]"?
Based on the concept of "Life with Museum," this is one of Japan's largest museum information websites, introducing approximately 8,000 museums across Japan. In addition to information on museum facilities, special exhibitions, and events, the website offers a wide range of content, including original interview reports, information on curator recruitment, and exhibition ticket giveaways, making it a popular choice for museum fans across the country.
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