Stop What You’re Doing and Vote for the New Design of Yanmar’s Yanboh and Marboh Characters

Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd. has initiated a global public online poll to choose the new design of the Yanmar Group’s corporate mascots, Yanboh and Marboh. The new design will be chosen from three options, with the results to be announced in January 2024.

Yanmar’s mission is centered around resolving customer challenges in the food and energy sectors, ultimately striving to create “A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE” through the pursuit of newfound prosperity. Guided by the values of faith in human potential and unwavering support for people’s endeavors, Yanmar adapts to the rapidly evolving social landscape and addresses challenges by heeding the voices of its customers.

In accordance with this mission, Yanmar’s June announcement about its original commercial anime, Miru, attracted substantial attention from global audiences. This renewed focus, particularly on social media, revitalized interest in Yanboh and Marboh. At the same time, there has been a growing expectation from within the company for further utilization of Yanboh and Marboh especially outside Japan. In response to these internal and external demands, Yanmar has decided to revamp the Yanboh and Marboh designs through a public vote, aiming to create characters that reflect the voices and sentiments of a wide range of generations, irrespective of nationality or region, and challenge the possibilities of the future.

Yanboh and Marboh made their debut in the “Yanboh and Marboh Weather Forecast” on Japanese television in 1959 have been beloved anime characters in Japan for over half a century. The newly selected design will become the 9th generation of the character’s designs. In an era where Japanese content such as manga and anime wields significant influence internationally, Yanboh and Marboh will evolve into characters that are “Moving Hearts, Moving Towards the Future”, and will strive together with people from various backgrounds, countries, and regions towards the realization of “A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE”. Furthermore, the new Yanboh and Marboh are slated to feature in the anime Miru.

Voting Details:

Voting Period (Japan Time):
Voting opens November 16, 2023, and concludes on December 7, 2023, at 11:59 PM.

Result Announcement:
The design receiving the highest number of votes will be adopted as the new design, with results slated for release on Yanmar’s website in January 2024. Voters can cast their ballots multiple times, with a daily limit, during the application period. The count of one vote per day resets at midnight Japan time.

Eligibility:
Everyone is eligible to vote through the special website.

How to Vote:
Votes can be cast for the preferred design via an online form at the website below:
https://www.yanmar.com/global/about/yanboh_marboh/vote/