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Last month, we brought you news of a new island forming in Japan. In the time since, ongoing volcanic activity has caused the brand-new Shinjima Island to continue to grow, with the shape of its coastline changing as it expands.

Recent photographs show that the young island has immediately adapted to modern Japanese youth culture by cosplaying as beloved cartoon beagle Snoopy.

When Shinjima first poked its head out of the waters, becoming the newest member of the Ogasawara Island chain, it looked like this.

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Like proud parents watching their kid grow up, we here at RocketNews24 looked on with beaming smiles as our adopted country started to grow bigger. Unfortunately, Japan’s island count has shrunk just as quickly as it expanded, as the same undersea volcanoes that created Shinjima continue to erupt, and the briefly-classified island has now merged with nearby Nishinomiya Island.

We’re sure geography buffs will be saddened by the news, but there is a positive side to this. Don’t think of it as losing an island, think of it as gaining the world’s biggest Snoopy doll.

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Although the natural human reaction is, of course, to immediately set sail in order to give Snoopy a squeeze, authorities warn that the eruptions are still occurring, and caution ships against getting too close to the adorable islands. Here’s hoping things quiet down before the island’s shape morphs again into a less huggable cartoon character.

▼ There’s a fine, yet distinct, line between “cuddly” and “flabby.”

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Source: IT Media
Top image: Cweden
Insert images: 47 News, Terusoku, The Daily Gopher