The company behind the unfortunately named mascot “Fukuppy” (pronounced as “Foo-koo-pee”) released an apology for the name slip-up. The winged-egg mascot of Fukushima Industries Corporation was supposed to have been taken its name from the portmanteau of the company’s name and “happy.” Turned out, “Fukuppy” has become a joke across social networking sites.
In an earlier statement, Fukushima Industries acknowledged, “A lot of media are reporting [on] our mascot, which created misunderstanding.” To clarify its case, the company apologized for the blunder. “This time, the name of our corporate character, because of the way it’s written, has been regarded as inappropriate, or has been misunderstood among English-speaking people. We sincerely apologize for the fact that we have caused misunderstandings and concerns among many people.” The company also reckons to “look into the name, including a rethink of it.”
The Osaka-based refrigeration & cooling manufacturer, which is one of the largest in the country, has offices in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Although named “Fukushima Industries,” it has nothing to do with the TEPCO -operated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which suffered a meltdown following the March 2011 tsunami that hit eastern Japan. Adopting “Fukuppy” as name for the company mascot may sound fun for Japanese speaking customers, but it’s something that English-speaking people could hardly miss to make fun of.
source: japandailypress
Tags: Fukushima, Osaka, technology
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