__ Meet the fat cats of cute. __
Anpanman His head shaped like an anpan, or Japanese breakfast bun, Anpanman first hit it big in 1973 as the title character of Yanase Takashi's popular children's cartoon. Today he's bigger than ever - generations X, Y, and Z are glued to reruns and flock to the Anpanman Museum in Kahoku. The best English-language Web site is www.sirius.com/~joyfm/Anpan-land/Anpanland.htm.
Bad Badtz-Maru Born on April Fools' Day, this bullying black penguin enjoys picking on stick-in-the-muds and slorping high-end sushi, but his Sanrio creators insist he's "a good guy at heart." Badtz-Maru hit North America in 1996 and has appeared grumpily ever since on bookbags, pencils, T-shirts, and notepads (www.sanrio.com).
Barbapapa French architect Annette Tison and American scientist Talus Taylor cocreated this cuddly ectoblob back in 1970, but only recently have Japanese publishers like Kodansha yanked Barbapapa and his Schmoo-like family out of obscurity. US fans can ride the swelling Barbawave at www.imaginet.fr/~mhp.
Bu-ru A new face in the Pokémon mob, this scrappy little bull debuted last month in Pikachu's Vacation, the film short that precedes screenings of Pokémon: The First Movie. He teams up with his blue buddy Marril to take on archenemies Pikachu, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur (www.upnetwork.com/movies_info.html).
Chibi Maruko Chan This queen of cute reigned in 1990, when the Chibi Maruko Chan series became the highest-rated animated television show in Japanese history. Chibi, who fronts backpacks and cell phone covers, also has her own board game (www.sunhingtoys.com).
Chococat Just released in the US, Sanrio's Chococat has been popular in Japan since 1996, despite his ghostly absence from TV and the company's theme parks. He's a little scatterbrained and afraid of the dark, but he's got a technical edge - his whiskers double as antennas, picking up breaking news and warning him of impending danger (www.sanrio.com).
Dear Daniel Daniel premiered in 1993 as a nameless Hello Kitty Babies doll but didn't hit it big until March, when Puroland reintroduced him as Kitty's childhood pal/boyfriend. Daniel's US assault started in September, but so far he's limited to only a few major-market stores (www.sanrio.co.jp).
Doraemon This cat android from the 22nd century was created by Fujiko-F-Fujio, a shared pen name for two designers living in Tokyo. Doraemon packs strange gizmos in his belly pocket, like a magic door that leads to any desired destination. Fan swag includes notebooks, cameras, screensavers, and an email server (www.doramail.com).
Genki-kun One of many mascots created for Japanese municipalities, this bulb-headed "little health guy" is the official critter in Toyoshina, a town in Nagano Prefecture that specializes in growing and packing onions. The blue of his shorts represents fresh air and clean water.
Jiggly Puff Probably the second most famous Pocket Monster after Pikachu, Jiggly Puff escaped from Pokémon Island and into Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. videogame last April. He's a tough fighter, thanks to his narcoleptic powers: He can put anyone near him to sleep (animenetwork.com/weddingpeach/jiggly.html).
Jiji This big-mouthed, tall-eared cat has been a Japanese phenom since her 1989 film debut in Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takkyubin). Jiji is only now starting to gain popularity on this side of the Pacific. She's available in a hard-to-find plush doll that jiggles (www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/kiki).
Kuma and Tama The Japanese health ministry commissioned these button-bellied prototypes to monitor the elderly and anyone who needs medical attention. Created by Matsushita, these Furby-like stuffed animals rely on their digital brains and sensors to respond to owners' moods, strike up a conversation with a bit of local news, or provide another party with feedback from the patient who plays with one of these new-millennium fuzzies.
Mewtwo Star of Pokémon: The First Movie, this lavender, squirrel-like creature is a bioengineered thingy that first appeared in the Game Boy Pokémon. This fall's merchandise rollout includes the usual pileup: stickers, caps, and a series of books (www.pokemon.com).
Momo This fluffy, pink quasi-Gumby was born in 1996, when Sony launched its crew of PostPet virtual email couriers. The more mail it delivers, the greater the chance this gender-neutral bear has of falling in love, quarreling, or growing up. PostPets can be found in Japan on digital watches and mini T-shirts (www.sony.com.sg/postpet).
Pochacco A Sanrio-product darling since 1989, Pochacco the dog now costars in performances at Puroland and Harmonyland, as well as on the TV show Kitty's Paradise, which airs weekly on Japan's TV Tokyo network. Pochacco walks on two legs, has a weakness for banana ice cream, and is known as a busybody (www.sanrio.com).
Ryo-Ohki This "cabbit" - a cross between a cat and a rabbit - not only meows and munches carrots but can also walk through walls and has a laser-emitting gem on her forehead. (Bonus:She can turn herself into a spaceship.) The fuzziest character from designer Kajishima Masaki's revered anime TV series Tenchi Muyo, she's available as a popular plush toy (www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/6075/i-ryo-ohki.html).
Togepi With his big-screen debut in Pokémon: The First Movie, Togepi graduates from TV to become a full-fledged game character in the new Pokémon Silver and Gold series. A favorite since he hatched in the television episode "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon" earlier this year, this egg-shaped creature is available as a plush squeezie from Hasbro (www.pokemon.com).
Totoro Totoro (mispronounced Japanese for "troll") has been referred to on fan Web sites as a "rabbitlike spirit" and "a giant furry thing." The guardian of the forest in the 1988 children's classic My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro), Totoro appears only before unjaded children, and disappears without warning. The plush version, the biggest-selling stuffed toy in the history of Japan, is available throughout the US (www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/totoro).
