Japanese netizens can’t stop talking about McDonald’s newest mascot. We can’t blame them as she’s just a bit more adorable than the Ronald McDonald or Grimace we all know. Introducing Imadakedabuchitabemi or “Only now, try eating a double cheeseburger.”
Her Naming Origins
It’s an extremely long name, even by Japanese standards. It has most Japanese folks scratching their heads, wondering where the family name ends and the first name starts.
The “dabuchi” or double cheese in the name is a loan word from English that has also been truncated so it’s easier to pronounce. This refers to McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger. However, in conjunction with this promotion, McDonald’s Japan is also offering additional double cheeseburgers such as the Garlic Onion Double Cheeseburger and Spicy Double Cheeseburger.
Here for a Good Time, Not a Long Time
As her name also includes “ima dake” or now only, it seems implied that she’s here for a short time to promote these new double cheeseburgers. This point is further emphasized by the badge she wears which has the kanji for “ima” or now. However, based on her popularity on the internet, we wonder if McDonald’s might consider keeping Tabemi-chan (our guess as to her first name) around for longer.
At the time of writing, her debut tweet has amassed more than 94,000 likes, 21,000 reposts and 17.3 million views. Are people attracted to the burgers she represents or the magical girl vibes she gives off? The red bow behind her back is certainly reminiscent of Cardcaptor Sakura. Time will tell if even a fraction of these numbers will convert into double cheeseburger sales. Or perhaps McDonald’s is better off creating Tabemi merchandise for her online fans to purchase.
