Sumikko Gurashi Retro Hotel Ballpoint Pen by San-X

Sumikko Gurashi Ballpoint Pen by San-X. Retractable ballpoint Pentel Energel pen.

0.5mm. Black Ink.

Sumikko Gurashi () is a set of fictional characters produced by the Japanese company San-X. The name directly translates to “life in the corner”, and all the characters have an affinity for corners, such as the corner seat of a caf or the corner of a room. The characters are anthropomorphised animals and food items, split into Sumikko the main characters, and Minikko the smaller side characters. The main Sumikko characters have common traits: they have a slightly negative personality, they are castaways in everyday life, and they feel most relaxed when they are near a corner. These include Shirokuma, a polar bear who dislikes the cold, Penguin? who is unsure of being a penguin, Tonkatsu, a piece of leftover pork cutlet, Neko, a timid and anxious cat, and Tokage a dinosaur who pretends to be a lizard. In contrast, some of the Minikko characters have a more positive outlook, including Furoshiki a polka dot furoshiki cloth, Ebifurai No Shippo, Tonkatsu’s friend who is a leftover tail of a fried shrimp, Zassou a weed with a positive attitude, Obake, a small ghost who enjoys cleaning and Tapioca who is multi-coloured leftover tapioca pearls. The characters were created by Yuri Yokomizo, a graphic designer working for San-X, and the first products were released in 2012. Their main inspiration was the feeling of comfort when one is near a corner, and they were based on Yokomizo’s notebook doodles when she was a student. Three animated films with Sumikko Gurashi were released in 2019, 2021, and 2023.