If you’re here, then more than likely you already know who Gudetama is. This adorable lazy egg character is currently one of Japan’s most loved little animations, and he’s now loved by many other parts of the world too. Especially from my living room! It’s easy to see why I’d fall in love with this Gudetama coffee mug.
Where to buy this Gudetama ceramic coffee mug online:
Gudetama Sanrio Coffee Cup Mug
I love starting my day now with this lazy egg coffee mug, preferably full of some good french press Kona coffee.
Where does Gudetama come from?
Gudetama the lazy egg is the embodiment of the current youth according to many observers. The egg yoke that won’t get off his plate, or share his shell, or reach for the remote; he is the drawn personification of what’s called the lazy youth of today. Gudetama even aspires to take care of his Twitter channel in one mini episode. Though he works on his social media somewhat begrudgingly, it’s still a head nod at how today’s youth would be more concerned with their social media than perhaps their jobs or school work.
So if Gudetama is based off of such a negative thought, one in particular that’s not very Japanese, why are we so obsessed with him? After all the Japanese culture puts pride in working hard and always doing your best. What anime do you watch that doesn’t make use of the adored phrase Ganbatte? Sometimes depending on the area and dialect also spelled gambatte, it means to do your best, and it’s not said lightly. Yet we are obsessed with this ultra lazy egg character who has difficulty reaching the soy sauce.
I can’t answer for all the youth of the world, but I will say for myself that it’s a reminder of my childhood. While I do enjoy living the life kawaii, I also work really hard at my job every day. When I’m holding this glass in the morning and enjoying a hot drink with this especially lazy critter, it reminds me of when I was a kid. Before I moved to New York and was working full time, I definitely was a full time gamer and couch potato. From Dark Ages, Diablo, Zelda, and World of Warcraft games, that couch was my “work space”. Obviously I have to drastically limit how much of that I do in my daily life now, especially the lazy sitting around, but Gudetama makes me feel as though I’m goofing off just a little bit. I’d like to think that for a lot of egg obsessed people such as myself, that they feel something similar in their own way.
I have no complaints thus far with my kawaii gudetama hot mug. I’ve heated it in the microwave several times and it’s been washed a lot already without losing any of its color. It is a bit on the pricey side at $18.00 but you are paying for the rights to have the gudetama figure and the quality that comes with the Sanrio brand. Since the lazy egg coffee cup itself is also pretty thick, I find that it keeps the heat of my coffee or tea for a decent amount of time too. If you really want your drink to stay hot for 20 to 30 minutes, heat the inside of the Gudetama mug with hot water and let it sit a minute before pouring in your regular beverage.
If you want to learn more about the phrase ganbatte, I recommend you visit Wired In Japan. I like their listing of different phrases you can learn. See all ganbatte phrases here.