Kuma.Kute - Joanna

A couple years ago I came across a video on tik tok that completely stopped me in my tracks. It was a video of a Mexican themed Rilakkuma collection. The user behind the collection was none other than Joanna aka @Kuma.Kute. She has gone viral several times on tik tok for her curated kuma collection and is well known amongst the online kuma collecting community. When asking Joanna how her collection got started this is what she had to say "I’ve always loved Rilakkuma since I was little but I started collecting during Covid. I found the Rilakkuma Mexican pair on Pinterest and it was the first collection I HAD to complete. I made a post on the Facebook Rila group and it garnered a lot of attention. Someone told me they had just sold the pair to Marybear, so I emailed her and bought them immediately!"

The Korilakkuma Mexican plush in specific also had a striking resemblance to the dress Joanna would wear when taking traditional Mexican dancing classes. "I was forced to dance at 12 but I ended up loving it! It’s why I loved my Mexican Kori so much because it reminded me of when I used to dance (and plan to dance again soon). It’s actually how I met my husband! It’s my passion and it helped me learn a lot about Mexican culture especially being born and raised in the U.S."

I was especially interested to get on her opinion on why there seems to be such a huge overlap with the Latina community and the Rilakkuma fandom. "I noticed once I posted my Mexican collection on TikTok. I’m friends with so many Latino collectors and I seriously think it’s because Mexico has a long history with kawaii and anime culture. My aunt used to make me watch CandyCandy with her and my mom would talk about Hello Kitties popularity in Mexico when she was young."

At Joanna's website crochetkuma.com you can find her shop where she sells rare Rilakkuma merch imported from Japan along with her handmade crochet goods! Her crochet work includes different plushies, bouquets, and accessories in the sweetest pastel colors. She's even crocheted a version of the ultra rare Korilakkuma and Chairoikoguma Cherry Plush (iykyk).