Grape-kun
Grape, colloquially known as Grape-kun, was a Humboldt penguin at Tobu Zoo in Miyashiro, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. His attachment to a cutout of Hululu, an anthropomorphic Humboldt penguin character from the 2017 anime series Kemono Friends, earned him international fame and an online fan base. Grape-kun died after a brief illness in October 2017, and was commemorated by the zoo and his fans.
Early life
Grape was born at Hamura Zoo in Tokyo in 1996. He was named because of the color of the purple ring placed on his wing for identification; the suffix is a Japanese honorific usually used when speaking to younger males. It is also commonly used for male pets. Along with his mate, Midori, he was transferred to Tobu Zoo in Miyashiro, Saitama, in March 2006. Midori and Grape-kun hatched a chick together, but the zoo removed the baby, citing inbreeding as the reason to separate it from its parents. The experience was difficult for the pair, and could have affected the bond between Grape-kun and Midori. Whether the loss of their chick was a factor or not, Midori left Grape-kun for a younger penguin after a decade of being together. After this occurred, all of the other penguins in Grape-kun's exhibit rejected him, and he spent most of his time isolated from the rest of the colony.Attachment to anime character cutout
In April 2017, Tobu Zoo placed 60 cutouts of characters from the popular anime series Kemono Friends around the grounds to attract visitors. The cutout placed in Grape-kun's enclosure, Hululu, was an anthropomorphic Humboldt penguin and was part of a campaign to help visitors learn more about the animals in the zoo.Grape-kun would stare at the cutout for hours, going as far as trying to reach the cutout, which was placed on a tall rock. Zookeepers had to separate Grape-kun from the cutout after closing to prevent him from falling into the pool near it. Many rumors spread that this was done because he would not eat, but the zoo denied them. Media outlets described Grape-kun as having "fallen in love", and the zoo created a drink called "Loving Grape" described as a "perfect embodiment" of the penguin's relationship with his love. When the Kemono Friends promotion came to an end, the decision was made to retain the Hululu cutout in Grape-kun's enclosure.
Grape-kun's devotion to the cutout earned him fame and a global fan base on the Internet. Hululu's voice actress, Ikuko Chikuta, visited Grape-kun as part of an educational event on penguins.