John Oliver presents the Japanese mascot saga you never even knew you were missing

John Oliver makes a Japanese mascot
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Last Week Tonight)

Last Week Tonight was off the air this week, but John Oliver posted a video Sunday from last week's show. It was a sort of love story. "Japan — there is something amazing happening over there right now," he began. This "something" involves Chiitan, an unsanctioned Japanese municipal mascot — an otter with a turtle as a hat — that describes himself as a "0-year-old fairy baby" who "plays around super actively every day!" Oliver was a fan. "Every Chiitan video is a work of art," he said, and he waxed poetic about the mascot's tweets.

"When's the last time Twitter made you happy?" Oliver asked, fairly. "When's the last time anything made you happy?" Because this is John Oliver, and because he has HBO money, the Chiitan saga took several bizarre turns. If you want a fleeting moment of happiness and don't mind NSFW language, you can watch it all unfold below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.