Brighton, UK: One of the liveliest places in the UK. Only recently, a list of 10 Best Ways to Enjoy Brighton included a Japanese half-restaurant and half-shop. I realize not everyone that comes across this blog will be near Brighton, so I’ll refrain from describing how yummy the food is.

On the other hand, the shop has a huge selection of things to offer! From kimonos (traditional Japanese dresses), kitchen utensils, pickles, to Origami (Japanese art of folded paper). In the midst of all those products, they have two very useful (in my opinion) summer products, featuring Badtz Maru!

This summer, are you heading anywhere with beaches or pools? Take along this blue bag:

“Badtz-Maru blue transparent back pack with adjustable size straps and a top handle. Has 2 compartments, a large main section with clasp and button closures, and a smaller section at the front with a zip closure. Dimensions: 210mm (W) x 250mm (H) x 110mm (D)”

Or show off something new in the airport:

“Travel in style with this Badtz-Maru travel bag. Dimensions: 280mm (W) x 280mm (H) x 120mm (D)”

Visit their website here!
If you’re looking for these two products, search for “Badtz”. Otherwise, take a look at their other Sanrio products!

Technorati Tags: shop, store, shopping, products, bags, bag, blue, badtz maru, travel

As his April 1st birthday would suggest, Badtz-Maru is one mischievous little penguin. He lives with his mother and pinball-playing father in Gorgeoustown He attends the first grade at the Gorgeous Academy. Badtz-Maru attracts lots of attention as he walks his pet alligator, Pochi. Badtz-Maru has dreams of greatness when he grows up, but for now he rolls his eyes at his humorous life in Gorgeoustown.

Badtz-Maru, literally “XO”, is one of the many fictional characters produced by Japanese corporation Sanrio. Unlike the more popular Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru has an attitude and is one of the few characters that is marketed to both males and females.In Japanese “badtz” (batsu) is a term for “X”, the cross signifying a wrong answer. “Maru” means circle or “O”, and signifies a correct answer. So, his name is like “wrong-correct,” and is frequently represented by “XO”. Indeed, with his friends Pandaba and Hana Maru, Badtz runs the mischievous XO clan. Badtz-Maru has many different facial expressions and poses, but he is classically recognized for pulling one eye down and sticking out his tongue.

While Badtz-Maru seems perpetually stuck in the first grade, he has dreams of becoming “the boss, of everything” when he grows up. “A bit selfish, Badtz-Maru tends to make fun of things he thinks are silly. This mischievous little penguin loves to fight for the wrong side. His hobby is collecting pictures of movie stars who play bad guys.”

Badtz-Maru has two best friends, who are often found accompanying him. Pandaba is a female panda born on August 8. She was born in Iwayama (lit. Rocky Mountain), China. Pandaba likes to listen to rap music. She has a skill of eating shumai, a Chinese steamed meat dumpling, in speed-eating contests. (One time she ate 100!) Hana Maru was born one day before Pandaba on August 7. He is a white seal born in Kokuritsu Hospital located in London. He can do ball acrobatics and likes gardening. In Japanese, he is called Good Hana Maru, in contrast to Bad Badtz-Maru.

In addition to Hana Maru and Pandaba, Badtz also is close with Hanatare Kame (a small blue turtle), Soga Iruka (a white dolphin), Ogawa Same Otto (a blue shark), Nogaki Goroo (a small white bird), Mochizuki Anko (a black fish), and Kobun (blue henchman of his father).

Badtz-Maru has gone through many product lines since his release at Sanrio. While he has much fewer releases than Hello Kitty, he has been a stable character found in almost all stores worldwide. He has been portrayed as an astronaut, motorcyclist, DJ, camouflage monster, basketball player, boxer, and more. His products range from typical stationary supplies (eg. pencils, notebooks, erasers …) to more unique items (eg. cd players, pillows, clocks …).