kuma
Table of Contents
Kuma
Kumā (クマー, lit. “Bear”) is an AA character that emerged on 2channel in the early 2000s. He's a whimsical bear who likes taking the bait, babbles, and often fights with Nukedonald1) and Pipo-kun.2) In the Western internet, he somehow became known as Pedobear on 4chan.
History
ヽ(・(ｪ)・)ノ
The text artwork is said to be derived from a Mona-sized bear in 2000, but exploded in popularity after people used it for a white polar bear named “Shirokuma Chaos” (白熊カオス) from Kuma Uta,3) along with news reports that bears were roaming around Japanese settlements in 2004.
Somehow, the bear quickly spread to 4chan as “Pedobear” that year,4)5) long before Kuma formally peaked with the Flash parody “Futari wa Purikuma” (ふたりはプリクマ),6) derived from the intro for the 2004 anime Futari wa Precure. Then, he'd spread to PTT during the 2006 Asia Series. To end the decade, he was last used as the Analoguma from 2009 to 2011.
Text artwork
∩＿＿＿∩ | ノ ヽ / ● ● | | ( _●_) ミ 彡､ |∪| ､｀＼ Kuma──！！ / ＿＿ ヽノ /´> ) (＿＿＿） / (_／ | / | ／＼ ＼ | / ) ) ∪ （ ＼ ＼＿)
Baiting/Fishing
.| .| ∩＿＿＿∩ | | ノ＼ ,＿ ヽ .| / ●゛ ● | .J | ∪ ( _●_) ミ 彡､ |∪| | / ∩ノ ⊃ ヽ ( ＼ ／ ＿ノ | | ＼ " ／ ｜ | ＼ ／￣￣￣ ／ ￣￣￣￣
| | ∩＿＿＿∩ | | ノ _, ,_ ヽ （（ | ﾌﾟﾗﾌﾟﾗ / ● ● | (=) | ( _●_) ミ ＿ (⌒) J ）） 彡､ |∪| ノ ⊂⌒ヽ / ヽノ ヽ /⌒つ ＼ ヽ / ヽ / ＼_,,ノ |､＿ノ
/ ぷちっ / ∩＿＿＿∩ . 从 / | ノ ヽ / / ● ● | (=)ヽし | ( _●_) ミ／ ｀ ﾉ 彡､ |∪| ノ ／ / ヽノ ／ ﾉﾉ / ／ / /
ムシャ | ムシャ | ∩＿＿＿∩ | ぷらぷら | ノ ヽ （（ | / ● ● | J ）） . （（ | ( _●_) ミ ・ 彡､ |∪}=) ,ノ ∴ / ヽ/＾ヽ ヽ 。 | ヽ ＼ | | ヽ＿_ﾉ ＼ ∩─ｰ､ ==== ＼／ ● ､_ ｀ヽ ====== / ＼( ● ● |つ | X_入__ノ ミ I was lured with such bait, kuma―― ､ (＿／ ノ /⌒l /＼＿＿＿ノﾞ＿/ / ===== 〈 ＿_ノ ==== ＼ ＼＿ ＼ ＼＿__） ＼ ====== (´⌒ ＼ ＿＿_ ＼＿＿ (´⌒;;(´⌒;; ＼＿＿＿）＿＿＿）(´;;⌒ (´⌒;; ズザザザ
Ababababa
∩＿＿＿∩ | ノ ヽ/⌒) Ababababababa /⌒) (ﾟ) (ﾟ) | .| / / ( _●_) ミ/ ∩―－、 .（ ヽ |∪| ／ ／ (ﾟ) ､_ ｀ヽ ＼ ヽノ / / ( ● (ﾟ) |つ / / | ／(入__ノ ミ Ababa abyababyababa | / ､ (＿／ ノ | ／＼ ＼ ＼＿＿＿ ノﾞ ─ｰ | / ) ) ＼ ＿ ∪ （ ＼ ＼ ＼ ＼＿)
Super Bowl XLI
∧ ∧ / ヽ‐‐ ヽ 彡 ヽ 彡 ● ● ∩＿＿＿∩ 彡 ( l | ノ ヽ 彡 ヽ | / ● ● | 彡 ヽ l ★SUPER BOWL★ | ( _●_) ミ / ` （ o o)＼ XLI 彡､ |∪| ､｀＼ / ＿＿ /´> ) SOUTH FLORIDA / ＿＿ ヽノ /´> ) (＿＿_|_（ /<ヽ／ 02.04.07 (＿＿＿） / (_／ | / ´ | / | ／＼ ＼ COLTS BEARS | ／＼ ＼ | / ) ). | / ) ) ﾋl （ ＼. ∪ （ ＼ ＼二) ＼＿)
Derivatives
Analoguma
┼╂┼ ∩＿┃＿∩ | ノ ヽ / ● ● | | ( _●_) ミ There's plenty of 彡､ |∪| ､｀＼ ＜ time until November / ＿＿ ヽノ /´,> ) 7th, 2011, kuma! (＿＿＿） / (_／ | / | ／＼ ＼ ANALOGUMA | / ) ) ∪ （ ＼ ＼＿) ※ There is no copyright.
Analoguma (アナロ熊, Anaroguma) is a character that was made on April 28, 2009 as an unofficial rival to “Chidejika” (地デジカ)7) during the digital television transition in Japan.
Shōhi Seikatsu Guma
. ∩＿＿＿∩ | ノ 消 ヽ / ● ● | We expect many issues | ( _●_) ミ ＜ in this world, kuma. 彡､ |∪| ､｀＼ So, pick up a pamphlet, / ＿＿ ヽノ /´> ) and take care, kuma. (＿＿＿） / (_／ | / | ／＼ ＼ | / ) ) ∪ （ ＼ ＼＿)
The Shōhi Seikatsu Guma (消費生活グマ, lit. “Consumer Life Bear”) was a budget mascot proposed by 2channel for use by the Fukuoka City Consumer Center, and they adopted it!8)
International variants
Pedobear
Pedobear is an image rendition of Kuma that found its way onto 4chan and assumed their name by late 2004.9)10) It isn't clear how he became associated with pedophilia. Some bring up “Shirokuma Chaos” from Kuma Uta,11) others say the environment,12) and there's also a theory that it came from “bipedal bear” instead.
This iteration was often used to mock pedophiles at the time. After he escaped 4chan, people mostly tried to sneak Pedobear into places with varying degrees of success. However, it should be noted that Pedobear is very out-of-style now, being replaced with a mutated parody of himself called Spurdo Spärde.
Three Bear Diagram
Incredible, you're the first one out! And I only got 4 points from Japan! ∩＿＿＿∩ ∩＿＿＿∩ | ノ ⌒ ⌒ヽHA __ _,, -ー ,, HA / ⌒ ⌒ 丶| / (●) (●) HA (／ "つ`..,： HA (●) (●) 丶 | ( _●_) ミ ：/ :::::i：. ミ (_●_ ) | *twist* ＿＿＿ 彡 |∪| ミ ：i ─::!,, ミ､ |∪| ､彡＿＿__ ヽ＿＿＿ ヽノ､｀＼ ヽ.....::::::::: ::::ij(_::● / ヽノ ＿＿＿/ / JPN .／ヽ < r " KOR r ミノ~. 〉 ／＼ CHN丶 / ／ ￣ ：|::| ::::| :::i ﾟ。 ￣ ＼ 丶 / ／ ：|::| ::::| :::|： ＼ 丶 （＿ ⌒丶... ：` | ::::| :::|_： /⌒＿） TPE | /ヽ }. ：.,' ::（ :::} } ﾍ / ∩＿＿＿∩ し ））. ：:i `.-‐" J´（（ / ⌒ ⌒ 丶| ｿ ｿ (●) (●) 丶 How'd you drift here? ミ (_●_ ) | (Watch out! The tide's coming in!) ミ､ |∪| ､彡
Note: Due to limitations, the ANSI art is rendered back into AA form.
The “Three Bear Diagram” (三熊圖, Sān Xióng Tú) is a special case where AA was converted into ANSI art for sports-related banter on PTT. It reportedly emerged during the 2006 Asia Series to make fun of South Korea's swift elimination, though the extra bear technically makes this a four bear diagram. It isn't used as much nowadays to avoid overuse, but it does occasionally return for special occasions.
Spurdo Spärde
Spurdo Spärde is a parody of Pedobear that originated from Kuvalauta in 2009 after it saw a flood of new users from Jonnesweb on December 1, 2008,13) and Pedobear became synonymous with their unrefined humor, so users responded by intentionally mistyping their posts14) and drew their own bears.15)
Pedobear's name would slowly mutate into “Spurdo Spärde”, then Kuvalauta died on August 31, 2010. He was presumed dead until the Pepe-based Spurdo was granted a body, became “Aligersantti Spurdo” (Gorporal Spurdo)16) on Ylilauta in July 2011, then he spread internationally through Krautchan as further variants of the bodied Spurdo were made.
At the time, the most popular variant was the “Lugiolainen Spurdo” (Highschooler Spurdo)17) which depicts a teenage Spurdo Spärde working at Siwa.18) He would eventually meet the fat negative American stereotype called “Le American Bear” or “Spurdo Burger”.19) Then in 2015, a new, surreal mutation consisting of a head with legs would emerge on Ylilauta, gaining the nickname of “Gondola”.20)
External links
1)
“Nukedonald” (ヌケドナﾉﾚド, Nukedonanoredo), also known as “Nukedo” (ヌケド), is the AA form of Ronald McDonald (Donald McDonald), traced over a 2002 commercial, that invited people to a fight by saying, “you [guys], step outside” (お前ら表へ出ろ, omaera omotehedero). “Ran Ran Ru” didn't exist yet.
2)
“Pīpo-kun” (ピーポくん) is the mascot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. As an AA character, he'd tell users to “come to the [police] station for a moment” (ちょっと署まで来い, chotto sho made koi).
3)
“Kuma Uta” (くまうた, lit. “Bear Song”) was a PlayStation 2 game that was released in October 25, 2003. It didn't sell well as an experimental game, thus the limited release in Japan.
7)
“Chidejika” (地デジカ) was a white deer mascot from the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association.
8)
"消費生活グマの 「ドツボの避け方教えるクマー！」". Fukuoka City.
11)
“Shirokuma Chaos” allegedly likes being abused by little girls and sings about it in Kuma Uta, which is why Japanese users would label him a “lolicon” or “pedophile” as a joke.
12)
The internet was generally less regulated, the underground internet culture in Japan did have pedophiles, and early 4chan raids used to weaponize such illicit images against themselves, Dvach, etc.
13)
"Jonneweb.net" (December 1, 2008). Jonnesweb.
14)
"en tajuu tätä mut nauratti" (August 26, 2009). Kuvalauta.
15)
"Itsenäisyyspäivän virallinen pörä pörö-lanka. Mikä vitun mene ?" (December 6, 2009). Kuvalauta.
16)
Alikersantti (lit. “Undersergeant” or “Junior Sergeant”) is the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer in the Finnish military. Its equivalent rank is Corporal in most other land-based military units.
17)
“Lukiolainen” can be translated as “highschooler” (high school) or “gymnasiast” (gymnasium), though this depends on what a secondary school is called in your area.
18)
“Siwa” was a Finnish convenience store chain. In 2017, it was acquired by the Finnish retail conglomerate Kesko who would rebrand the stores as “K-Market”, no relation to Kmart or Kmart Australia.
19)
"and still no one cares" (January 4, 2012). 4chan /jp/.
20)
"Hey guys, Gondola has finally arrived..." (Novmeber 8, 2015). Ylilauta /int/.
kuma.txt · Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:59:50 by 127.0.0.1