Mascot Mania #2! Yang Yang City

“Mascot Mania!” is a series which features some of the “mascots” I’ve seen in Korea. Unlike in the United States, mascots in Korea are not limited to schools and sports teams. You’ll find mascots/characters for just about everything in Korea, from products, organizations and even cities! Clearly, “cuteness” is a cultural value that reigns supreme in this country~~   

“Yang Yang, the Pine Mushroom Capital”

While Americans may be used to the idea of city specific slogans (e.g. I went to high school in Placentia, “A Pleasant Place to Live”), and state nicknames (I hail from California, “the Golden State”), Koreans take it a step further with city mascots/characters. The mushroom mascot above is for the city of Yang Yang.

Yang Yang is famous for pine mushrooms, which are absolutely delicious, if I say so myself! When my husband and I have Korean barbeque at home, I grill sliced pine and shitake mushrooms (I’m a vegetarian), while my hubby enjoys the beef on his own.

The following pics are from Yang Yang’s annual Pine Mushroom Festival.

Any Mario Brothers fans out there? As you can see, Yang Yang is definitely the place to go to get your fill of cute mushroom mascots!