The series has inspired a popular line of merchandise and has been adapted into video games and critically acclaimed feature films in Japan.
During her time in elementary school, she had discovered the popular San-X character, Tarepanda and took interest in the unique design.
[1] Yokomizo enrolled in Tama Art University in Tokyo and continued working on character designs.
[2] In November 2011, Yokomizo would enter an in-house design competition at the company where she would take inspiration for her entry from notebook drawings she had created in the corners of her papers while in university.
[2] In 2012, Sumikko Gurashi debuted and would go on to capture audiences with its themes of outcast and leftover characters who shyly reside in corners where they are most comfortable.
[10] The second film, "Sumikko Gurashi the Movie: The Magical Child of the Blue Moonlit Night" would be released in November 2021 and would be similarly well received by audiences and critics.