The United Nations Headquarters in New York has arguably the highest concentration of diplomats per square foot — especially during the annual General Assembly High-level Week, which this September will gather for its 80th session. In the world of international diplomacy, ambassadors usually wear suits, negotiate resolutions, and bang gavels. But lately, some of those advocating for change have fur or blue skin, are drawn or stitched, and some don’t say much at all – but they’re still very persuasive. From Paddington Bear standing for children’s rights, to Peter Rabbit teaching families to eat more healthily, fictional characters are increasingly stepping into the spotlight of public social impact campaigns, wielding an unexpected yet potent form of influence: soft power – with an extra dose of cuteness.
When Expo 2025 opened its doors in Osaka in April, guests were welcomed by MYAKU-MYAKU, the surreal creature born of blue water and red cells, Expo’s official mascot. Through the long journey of Japan’s successful bid to host the world fair, another figure stood alongside MYAKU-MYAKU: the iconic Hello Kitty – helping Japan win hearts and minds on the global stage.
“In November 2024, she celebrated her 50th anniversary. Among various anniversary projects, she has been appointed as a Special Supporter [of the Expo], so that people in Japan and around the world will have a chance to learn about the Osaka, Kansai Expo 2025 through Hello Kitty,” Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition explains its choice.
Kitty’s got a strong background in public charming, serving as UNICEF’s children’s ambassador to the United States and Japan, then Japan’s tourism ambassador to China. Since 2018, Hello Kitty has also been creating YouTube videos to explain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through interviews with U.N. officials and visits to projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Jordan.
Since the adoption of the SDGs, the U.N. has actively diversified its work in advocacy, expanding its outreach. In 2016, Red of the “Angry Birds” movie (by Sony Pictures) asked his fans to go green – recycling, taking public transport, and conserving water: #AngryBirdsHappyPlanet.
In 2017, The Smurfs rallied to inspire everyone to make a small contribution to meet the SDGs. For the U.N. “Small Smurfs Big Goals” campaign, the tiny blue creatures took a big journey from their mushroom-shaped forest houses to New York City. In the U.N. General Assembly hall, they celebrated young individuals making a difference in their own communities – together with their voice actors from Sony Pictures’ “Smurfs: The Lost Village”. In 2021, new “food heroes” took the stage under a larger U.N. and its Food and Agriculture Organization campaign to promote sustainable living and healthy habits. Sony Pictures’ mischievous veggie-loving Peter Rabbit encouraged kids and families to eat more fruits and vegetables, support local farmers, and plant their own gardens — no matter the size. Later that year, DreamWorks’ bright and colorful Trolls joined the movement to stand up for healthy food choices and against food waste.
The U.N. and UNICEF are now getting ready to launch a new campaign – in collaboration with Paramount Pictures – whose “Smurfs” film release will be in July 2025. For animated creatures, drawn into this world, it’s their planet to save, too.
The global goal of all people enjoying peace and prosperity by 2030 is only achievable if shared by envoys, messengers, and supporters of all shapes and colors. “A lot of the themes and issues that the U.N. works on are reflected in the stories these animated characters appear in. Fictional characters tell stories that reach children and young adults. They also reach adults as parents are usually watching as well. It allows us to bring up really important issues within the context of entertainment. One of the key strategies for communication is meeting the audiences where they are,” says Andi Gitow, U.N. Department of Global Communication’s head of advocacy and social impact.
Through digital campaigns, new heroes and supporters helped in reaching audiences outside U.N. chambers. Trolls-led video public service announcements in 10 languages hit 2.5m views across social media platforms alone and motivated more than 450,000 climate actions logged with #actnow – the U.N.’s flagship campaign, counting individual actions taken for the SDGs (almost 26m to date). At the same time, Peter Rabbit’s social media cards were posted online from 45 countries, and the activity book was promoted in 17 languages to more than 55 thousand school teachers worldwide.
At the same time, UNICEF UK has proved that a good old postcard still makes a change, too. During the 2020 lockdown, to make the home-learning entertaining, the organisation launched “Paddington’s Postcards”, a project that has since expanded to 12 countries: Canada, Ireland, the UK, Norway, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Hungary, Italy, France, and the USA. Each month, children receive a personalised postcard from Studiocanal’s Paddington Bear about a new country he’s visited, along with stories of children he met there, their traditions and culture. The initiative is also a fundraising tool – families sign up with a monthly £8 donation, supporting UNICEF’s work while sparking young imaginations.
This is just one of the projects Paddington Bear supports in the UK and worldwide. Another – the “OutRight” campaign aimed to help children understand their rights under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. With UNICEF’s engaging resources, Rights Respecting Schools teach kids about key issues like health, democracy, and global citizenship, while encouraging them to speak up and engage with decision-makers. Overall, since 2017 UNICEF UK partnership with Vivendi has raised £7.1 million as of 2024.
“The funding provided through “Paddington’s Postcards” has no restriction on its use, and can be used wherever and whenever the need is greatest. This provides the predictability, flexibility, and efficiency required to achieve the greatest impact on children’s lives,” says UNICEF UK Press Office.
International organisations and national governments have recognized the unique power of animated or illustrated icons to translate big goals into accessible, emotionally resonant messages and actions. As the world grapples with complex, overlapping crises, more fictional figures are helping shape the public imagination in profoundly real ways. It is the advocacy unafraid of emojis, hashtags, and reaches social media feeds as easily as U.N. corridors. Today’s soft power advocates do not need an Ambassador’s title, they have to have character. After all, who better to tell tough truths, or spark big dreams, than the heroes we’ve trusted since childhood?
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