friend is Kumanbachi, a honey bee. Marketing and distribution Along with stationery and product lines, Rilakkuma has collaborated with multiple organizations, brands, and character cafes. In September 2017 San-X opened its first temporary pop-up Rilakkuma shop in Florida, USA. In September 2018, a second pop-up shop opened at the New York City's Times Square. A stop motion animated series called Rilakkuma and Kaoru began streaming on Netflix on April 19, 2019. The series was made at Dwarf Studio. It is directed by Masahito Kobayashi and written by Naoko Ogigami, with Mikako Tabe voicing Kaoru in Japanese and Lana Condor voicing Kaoru in English. In October 2020, it was announced another stop-motion series Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure will be released on Netflix. San-X has announced on its Japanese website that Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure will be released worldwide exclusively on Netflix on August 25, 2022. Reception Initial sales for the Rilakkuma product line were low but slowly picked up popularity in 2004, with Rilakkuma breaking the stereotype of cute characters needing to be energetic. In May 2010, Rilakkuma ranked as the fifth most popular character in Japan in a survey of the Character Databank. , character merchandise has generated a total of in retail sales revenue across Asia. Media Picture books Rilakkuma Seikatsu - Daradara Mainichi no Susume (Aki Kondo, March 2004) Dararan Biyori - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 2 (Aki Kondo, November 2004) Tori Dayori - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 3 (Aki Kondo, May 2005) Kuma Goyomi - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 4 (Aki Kondo, September 2006) Utatane Kibun - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 5 (Aki Kondo, September 2007) Bonyari Kinenbi - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 6 (Aki Kondo, August 2008) Yanwari Jozu - Rilakkuma Seikatsu 7 (Aki Kondou, October 2010) Sticker books Rilakkuma Daradara Seal Book (Aki Kondo, November 2004) Rilakkuma Dara Pika Seal Book (Aki Kondo, May 2005) Rilakkuma Gorogoro Seal Book (Aki Kondo, September 2006) Rilakkuma Howa Pika Seal Book (Aki Kondo, September 2007) Rilakkuma Nohohon Seal Book (Aki Kondo, August 2008) Rilakkuma Daradara Seal Book (Aki Kondo, August 2017) Games Rilakkuma na Mainichi (Rocket Company, Game Boy Advance, April 2005) Rilakkuma ~ojamashitemasu 2 Shuukan~ (Interchannel, PlayStation 2, September 2005) Watashi no Rilakkuma (Rocket Company, Nintendo DS, April 2007) Chokkan Asonde Rilakkuma (Smilesoft, Nintendo DS, September 2008) Rilakkuma Minna de Goyururi Seikatsu (MTO, Nintendo Wii, March 2009) Norinori Rilakkuma Hit Song Ongaku (Smilesoft, Nintendo DS, December 2010) LINE Rilakkuma Loop (LINE), (Android, iOS 2016) Rilakkuma Farm (Imagineer,