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A Japanese prison housing some of the country’s worst criminals has unveiled a cuddly mascot that officials hope will soften its image. Officials at Asahikawa prison, known as one of the country’s toughest jails, hope “Katakkuri-chan”—a 79-inch-tall humanoid with a large square face and a purple flower for hair—will show the surrounding community that murderers, rapists, and other criminals aren’t all bad. “Prisons have the image of being isolated places that have no contact with the rest of society and are surrounded by imposing gray walls,” said an official. “We made the character to change [that] image.”