I aboslutely adore this character designed by Japanese artist, Shinzi Katoh. It's called Solar Bear or Sora Bear as the Japanese call it.
Sora & Bea.
Although the characters are supremely cute, the story behind Solar Bear is very sad. It's about two polar bears, an older brother and a younger brother and here's their story.
"Far away at the North Pole live two polar bear brothers. The Older one is named Bea, the younger one, Sora. Bea and Sora are crying. The two brothers got separated from their mother after the temperature of the Earth's surface rose, causing ice cap at the North Pole to melt and gaps to open up in the ice. They are determined to find their mother one day, so that they can live together as a family again. Bea and Sora are the main characters in a children's book about global warming. They are the creation on worldrenowned Japanese designer Shinzi Katoh. "
Taken from Sorabea FB Group.
IS THAT NOT SUPREMELY SAD!? I've always been conscientious about the environment even as a kid. I tried hard not to waste anything and even berated my family for wasting electricity and water. I also go around the house turning off the lights when there's no one in a room (to my mom's annoyance since she always claims that she just left for a second to get something). I turn off the water when I'm putting shampoo/conditioner/soap/cleanser etc and only turn it back on when I need to rinse. I'm also an Olympic showerer, I finish my shampooing, conditioning and..soaping(?) in less than 5 mins.
It really angers me when people don't care about the environment and don't even try to protect it. It's not hard to throw something in the garbage instead of just throwing it wherever you feel like it because you're a fat lazy stupid ignorant dick. Even worse when it's someone you know. I know someone, who will remain anonymous, who is a champion waster and although it's not my place to lecture him about it, it urks me every time I hear the water running uninterrupted for minutes on end or when I see a lot of uneaten food left of his plate. If you can't finish it, don't take so much, or pack it up as leftovers instead of throwing it in the trash!
People like that make me....
Anyway, rant over, back to Solar Bear. To increase awareness about the environmental problems that we are facing and to encourage the future generation to prevent environmental issues from escalating, The Sorabea Foundation was created. The foundation adopted the polar bears as their mascot and it encourages children to think about their impact on the environment and to help put a stop to global warming.
:(
The Solar Bear also has a line of products, although most of them are mostly used for the home, or zakka. Products include teapots and towels. According to the fb group, all Solar Bear products are subject to the 6% royalty of which 10% is donated to environmental conservation efforts. In Japan, the donations go to the Sorabea Foudation.
Cute Little Mug.
So not only do you get these super kawaii items, but you'll be helping the environment and Sora and Bea find their mother and conserve their home! I found out about these two poor babies sometime last year when a friend of mine were selling the plushes, I bought two of them and I've been on the lookout for more Solar Bear items ever since. I'll upload a picture of it later since I'm not at home right now.
I'd love this card holder.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there are that many Solar Bear products out there. The ones that are available are pretty expensive, at least to ship it to me. I saw this really beautiful iPhone 4s case that I really wanted, but it would cost be over $45 to have it shipped to me. I'll try my luck when I'm in Japan this summer, hopefully, it'll be cheaper.
Sora & Bea iPhone 4s Case. This is going on my super wishlist.
I should've bought this when I had the chance.
I'd love this deco tape but I can't bring myself to pay $8 for one.
Not only do they have super kawaii products for these two bears, but they also have a statue of them at Aqua City Odaiba in Tokyo.
Their tears light up.
I will be sure to pay these two a visit when I'm in Tokyo, hopefully, I'll be able to find Solar Bear products for much cheaper there too. But since Japan is expensive anyway, it's entirely possible that the prices won't be too different from what I'd have to pay right now.
Help Them Find Their Mommy!
Good luck finding your mom, little babies. Hopefully, you'll be able to find her soon.
[edit] I just saw this
video and it made me T______________________T. It wouldn't let me embed unfortunately but you have to watch it. Help those poor babies find their mom! And omg, those little seals!
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Sista @ 
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