nameko

Nameko & Rirakkuma

One of my students of last year loved a character, 'Rirakkuma'. It is a lovely easy-taking bear, so I could understand why she loved it. I was also surprised to know that the bear was popular in her country, too. This year, another student of mine said that she liked 'Nameko'. It is a character featuring a kind of mushroom. My daughter also loves it very much but I think it is not 'kawaii' at all. I don't understand why it is popular. What do you think?