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January 15, 2006
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Kawaii - Cute references

Looking to learn and understand a bit more about cuteness (in general) or kawaii (in Japan), here is a list of some of the best articles found on the internet (Updated 2009-11-10 - cleaned up dead links too):

Biology/evolutionary-related theories:
- Introduction (.pdf) to Evolutionary Psychology
- Early Aesthetic Choices (.pdf) Infant Preferences for Attractive Premature Infant Faces
- The Cute Machine
- Survival of The Prettiest: The Science of Beauty
- Cuteness Will Rule

Socio-cultural/Consumerism side:
- Cuties in Japan by Sharon Kinsella (best source)
- Addicted to Cute --NEW
- Cute formalism
- A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse
- Fifteen theses on the cute
- New York Times: The Cuteness Factor
- Business Week Online: In Japan, Cute Conquers All
- Wired: Cute Inc.
- King of Poku: Takashi Murakami
- Time.com Asia: She's a Material Girl
- Time.com Asia: From We to Me
- Time.com Asia: Export Machine
- Japanese teenagers
- Japanese street Chic
- Enjo kosai: teen prostitution, a reflection of society's ills
- Kawaii food photos
- "Enjo-Kosai" Sex, Schoolgirls and Consumerism in Japan
- imomus - What is Cute?
- London Review of Books - Cute

If you have other links, please post them in the comments.

Related books:
- Women, Media and Consumption in Japan
by Lise Skov (Editor), Brian Moeran (Editor) and Sharon Kinsella, "Cuties in Japan"
- Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society (Consumasian Book Series)
by Sharon Kinsella
- Japan Pop!: Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture
by Timothy J. Craig (Editor)
- Permitted and Prohibited Desires: Mothers, Comics, and Censorship in Japan
by Anne Allison
- Contemporary Japan and Popular Culture
by John Whittier Treat (Editor)
- The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture : Gender, Shifting Boundaries and Global Cultures
by Dolores Martinez (Editor)
- Japan Edge: The Insider's Guide to Japanese Pop Subculture
by Satoru Fujii (Editor)
- The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture
by Mark Schilling
- Takashi Murakami: The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning
by Dana Amanda/Friis-Hansen Cruz (Author)
- Women on the Verge: Japanese Women, Western Dreams (Asia-Pacific)
by Karen Kelsky
- So Crazy Japanese Toys!
by Jimbo Matison, Rodney Alan Greenblat (Photographer)
- Fruits
by Shoichi Aoki (Author)
- Understanding Japanese Society (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies)
by Joy Hendry
- Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure, and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club
by Anne Allison
- Gambling With Virtue: Japanese Women and the Search for Self in a Changing Nation
by Nancy Ross Rosenberger
- The Image Factory: Fads and Fashions in Japan
by Donald Richie, Roy Garner (Photographer)
- The Material Child: Coming of Age in Japan and America
by Merry White
- Japanese Mirror: Heroes and Villains of Japanese Culture
by Ian Buruma
- Japan-Think, Ameri-Think: An Irreverent Guide to Understanding the Cultural Difference Between Us
by Robert J. Collins, Jane Walmsley
- Hello Kitty : The Remarkable Story of Sanrio and the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon
by Ken Belson (Author), Brian Bremner (Author)

First published 2003-09-30

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January 22, 2004
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kimo-kawaii

[Happy Tree Friends] Cute, cuddly, and horribly wrong... It's the Happy Tree Friends! They may be sugary sweet but there's no way they'll escape their horrible fate! What chaos will these critters experience next? Check out our episode selection to find out! When it comes to animated mayhem, nothing beats Happy Tree Friends.

Now THAT's what I call "kimokawaii" (= kimochiwaruikawaii = cute but sick)!! My favourite so far: Eye Candy...

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