Lerch-san

Standing out among his animal peers is Niigata Prefecture Is a towering 270cm tall ski ambassador, Lerch-san (レルヒさん) ”Japan's original skier”. Lerch-san is a character from Niigata Prefecture that is modeled after a real Austrian military officer. The character is known to many people in the prefecture and can be seen at various events and facilities, but it was originally planned as the tourism campaign "100th Anniversary of Skiing in Japan" sponsored by Niigata Prefecture . This Nigel Thornberry-meets-Wes Anderson-looking humanoid character was in fact based off of Major Theodor Edler von Lerch, who introduced skiing to Japan in 1911 in Joetsu City. The economic impact was also significant, with merchandise sales alone reaching 700 million yen in a single year (2011).

Thanks to the energetic PR activities of the person in charge, it has become popular in both the real and digital realms, including various events, blogs, and a collaboration with actor Seishiro Kato, who was very active in the taiga drama "Tenchijin" at the time. Banners with the logo were posted at all ski resorts, and the original song "Lerch-san's Song" was played. Furthermore, plans for children and families were created at the ski resort, and a Lerch-san ski school was started, which became a hot topic and was covered by various media. With this momentum, Mr. Lerch stepped out of his role as a ski resort character and started working year-round as a character promoting Niigata Prefecture as a whole . He rose to fame by riding the wave of the Yuru-chara boom, taking on the challenge of the Yuru-chara Grand Prix (top 10th place), appearing in Yuru-chara events across the country and overseas, and appearing in TV programs and TV commercials.  [https://twitter.com/TheodorVonLerch]