is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company San-X and created by Aki Kondo. After the character's launch in 2003, Rilakkuma has been featured on stationery and merchandise created by San-X, as well as several collaboration cafes. Along with picture books and comics, a stop-motion animation series titled Rilakkuma and Kaoru was broadcast in 2019. Development San-X employee Aki Kondo had previously created characters such as Amagurichan and Mikanbouya. At the time, San-X ordered staff members to create one character per month. After watching a TV show about dogs at the height of the pet boom in Japan, Kondo not only wanted a pet dog, but also envied its life, as she was busy with work and hoped to relax more. This inspired her to create Rilakkuma, with its name a portmanteau of the words and Rilakkuma was designed with a slightly sloppy posture because Kondo found it amusing, believing that it should look "cute", yet "out of place." Kondo had also designed Rilakkuma with a zipper on its back, which became one of its quirks. San-X initially found Rilakkuma too gangly and had preferred characters with small hands. Character Rilakkuma was launched in 2003 and first seen in San-X's four-panel comic series titled Rilakkuma Seikatsu. In Rilakkuma Seikatsu, which describes its origin story, it appears one day in the apartment of a female office worker named Kaoru, who only appears as a silhouette. Rilakkuma spends every day relaxing. The zipper on its back reveals that his appearance is a costume, and its true form is unknown. It is accompanied by other creatures in the series, who also have their own character lines. Korilakkuma is a white bear introduced in Rilakkuma Seikatsu in 2003. Like Rilakkuma, it appeared in Kaoru's apartment one day and was named by Kiiroitori. It has a red button on its chest and does not appear to be a real bear. It has a mischievous personality and loves pranks. Kiiroitori is Kaoru's pet yellow bird introduced in Rilakkuma Seikatsu in 2003. He can leave his cage at any time and takes care of both Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma. Chairoikoguma is a brown honey bear introduced in 2016. Korilakkuma finds it one day in the forest and befriends it, bringing it to meet Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori. Chairoikoguma has defined fangs when its mouth is opened, as well as bear-shaped honey patches on its feet and rear. Its