Japanophiles across the midwest attended Anime Milwaukee 2019, and over the three days every topic and taboo was up for discussion in some quarter of the colorful gathering. Mascots in Japan are basically a national obsession, and that fever was exported around the world from the country’s entertainment industry. There are literally thousands of mascots in Japan representing everything from small towns to prisons to consumer items. Japanese companies often invent mascots to be heroes that represent their merchandise, and not all are identifiable as plush toys. Some of the most popular characters in Anime, for example, are not exactly gender neutral, but not clearly gender specific either.