They're the cute and cuddly creatures that have been described as the world's happiest animals.

The cuddly creatures that populate "Pets" seem tailor made to sell stuffed animals and t-shirts, creating a financial windfall for the studio.

The cuddly creatures' once-promising film franchise is looking awfully creaky after "Smurfs: The Lost Village" stumbled at the domestic box office this weekend.

Kumamon is a yuru-kyara, or "loose character", one of the cuddly creatures in Japan that represent everything from towns and cities to airports and prisons.