'Railroad girls' proving irresistible as marketing ploy

'Railroad girls' proving irresistible as marketing ploy

'Railroad girls' proving irresistible as marketing ploy
Local Japanese News In English

Minami Kurihashi's face adorns the labels of many beverages sold at the Inoue liquor store in Kuki, Saitama Prefecture. A female staffer of Tobu Railway Co., Kurihashi also appears on cell phone straps and other goods at nearly 30 stores nearby. But despite being the face of a local promotion campaign, Kurihashi is not a real person. Kurihashi is one of an increasing number of characters depicted as female employees at railway companies. These "railroad girls" are playing a growing role in local promotions, and some have built up a devoted fan following. The craze for "railroad girls" took off after Tomytec Co., a company in Mibumachi, Tochigi Prefecture, produced and sold a figure of "a girl who worked at a station." Tomytec started selling the figures in 2005 and has produced 60 different types. More than 1.3 million figures have been bought by fans. (Yomiuri)
Source: cleanup