JAPAN: Bew masks of first ladies Michelle Obama and Miyuki Hatoyama go on sale ahead of U.S. president's visit

Record ID: 465548

  • Title: JAPAN: Bew masks of first ladies Michelle Obama and Miyuki Hatoyama go on sale ahead of U.S. president's visit
  • Date: 9th November 2009
  • Summary: MICHELLE OBAMA MASKS ON CONVEYOR BEING PAINTED WORKER PAINTING MICHELLE OBAMA MASKS MICHELLE MASK BEING AIRBRUSHED MICHELLE MASKS ON CONVEYOR BELT
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA3M9DD41T3298A15H6JMRX1EYA
  • Story Text: Japanese mask-maker prepares for U.S. President's visit to Japan with new rubbery faces of first ladies Michelle Obama and Miyuki Hatoyama.
    Staff at the Japanese mask maker Ogawa Studio were hard at work on Friday (November 6) preparing for U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Tokyo next week.
    After selling rubber masks resembling the U.S. President and the Japanese Prime minister Yukio Hatoyama earlier this year, they have turned their attention to the first ladies.
    Both first ladies have grab the headlines here in Japan. Miyuki Hatoyama stole the limelight a few months ago with claims that she had traveled to Venus, met Tom Cruise in a previous life and even by winning awards such as the Best Dressed in Jeans in Japan. Meanwhile Michelle Obama has been the media's darling here since Barack Obama's inauguration for her sense of fashion, as well as her strong supporting role to the President.
    The wearers of the masks, Ogawa Studio president Hirohisa Ogawa says, may not necessarily need that much thespian skills to play out their parts.
    "I'd guess that people will put on the Miyuki mask and say things like 'I'm a martian'. That would make it interesting. For Mrs. Obama, just wearing the mask gives the impression of strength and you don't really even need to say anything," Ogawa told Reuters.
    Never before has the studio made masks of any first lady and the decision to do so was prompted partly by the timing of Obama's visit on November 12th.
    "As President Obama is coming to Japan on the 12th, we made the two first lady masks to co-incide with that. The other reason is that Mrs. Hatoyama is causing a lot of commotion in the press," Ogawa said when asked why they chose to make the masks.
    Aside from the media coverage, Ogawa also explained that making politicians' masks were easier because there are no copyrights involved.
    The company is currently producing 50 of each Miyuki and Michelle masks a day and plans to sell them for 2,200 yen (Approx. $24 USD), with shipping overseas available.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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