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Noda Nagi, artist who showed cute to be weird, dies at 35

Japanese artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagi_Noda">Noda Nagi</a>, known for her ecstatically odd aerobics videos and her charming hybrid stuffed animals known as Hanpanda, <a href="http://creativity-online.com/?action=news:article&newsId=130

Graham Webster
Formerly a journalist and consultant in Beijing, Graham Webster is a graduate student studying East Asia at Harvard University. At Sinobyte, he follows the effects of technology on Chinese politics, the environment, and global affairs. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
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Graham Webster

Japanese artist Noda Nagi, known for her ecstatically odd aerobics videos and her charming hybrid stuffed animals known as Hanpanda, died Sunday according to reports.

Hanpanda supervises as I furnish my new bedroom. Graham Webster

I had just been thinking of her work, having recently unearthed my Hanpanda (right) and placed it at a key watchful position in my new home. She had a great ability to hijack the "cute" aesthetic that characterizes much Japanese popular artwork and turn it more bizarre while maintaining some charm.

Though I only had the chance to meet her once when I served as a mysterious (and unidentifiable) extra for one of her works, I'll miss seeing her creations, as I am sure will many others.