Happy Birthday Hatsune Miku!!
一周年おめでとう、ミクちゃん！
From the official blog (http://blog.piapro.jp/2008/08/post-101.html)
Who is she?
Crypton's singing synthesizer software, which is based on Yamaha's Vocaloid2.
What is Vocaloid?
Grabbed from wikipedia:
"Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer application software developed by the Yamaha Corporation that enables users to synthesize singing by just typing in lyrics and melody"
Well, that was Vocaloid, she's a Vocaloid 2. Yeah, she's a "singing software"...
. And her birthday is today... 
How did she became so popular? Most probably started off with her songs getting lots of hits on NicoNicoDouga (whom today remains the greatest source for Miku song and videos) which was then spread far and wide by anime fans who frequent Nico.
This song became one of her earliest hit songs and sort of became the official "Miku song" for a quite a long time. (the other being leek spinning Ievan Polka)
Miku Miku Shite Ageru
(animated by fans)
Yeap, her popularity was totally driven by fans themselves - songs, arts, videos, paper figures... There's even a 3D animator called MikuMikuDance created specially by fans.
Official illustrations for Crypton by Kei (http://kei-garou.net/blog/archives/2007/08/vocaloid2.html)
Who's the other 2? More on them below.
More arts of Miku.
Below is one of her more professionally done hit song - Melt
Miku's voice can be adjusted to pronounced english words too, but it just won't be that accurate (but but, pretty accurate engrish
). There are also english Vocaloid-2s - Sweet Ann, Prima and Big Al... just not popular .So, one year later, with her popularity established... we get a manga, cameo appearance in anime, figures!..
Figma series Miku
(Figma series are very posable, unlike normal static PVCs, hence the joints)
Nendoroid series Miku
Nendoroid Miku, joined in by her lil sis and bro, Kagamine Rin and Ren... also by Crypton
Talking bout Rin and Ren, they're also Vocaloid2, but the voice is provided by a different voice actress. Both got popular really quickly too because of Miku
....and ofcoz, popular enough to be cosplayed!!
The Vocaloid family.
Miku's oniisan - Kaito (in blue) and oneesan - Meiko (in red)... they're from the 1st Vocaloid. Got pulled out from oblivion by Miku... hahaha.
And let's see the whole family in Nendoroid form dancing...
(also animated by fans ofcoz)
Two more? Yes, those two standing on top are the more popular derivatives of Miku:
- Yowane Haku (meaning "Speaking weak words") and
- Akita Neru (which sounds like "I’m tired. Gonna go to sleep").
If a song by Miku turns out bad... they take the blame, sort of...
Cosplays of them!
More derivatives!!
But I do know the pink hair drill girl on the right is Kasane Teto
One last family group hug!!
亜北ネル、初音ミク、鏡音リン、MEIKO、KAITO、鏡音レン、弱音ハク
Akita Neru, Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, Meiko, Kaito, Kagamine Ren, Yowane Haku
THE END
>> http://www.crypton.co.jp/mp/pages/prod/vocaloid/
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatsune_Miku#Hatsune_Miku
>> http://blog.piapro.jp/2008/08/post-101.html
>> http://kei-garou.net/blog/archives/2007/08/vocaloid2.html
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrome34/tags/vocaloid/
>> http://danbooru.donmai.us/wiki/show?nordirect=1&title=yowane_haku
>> http://danbooru.donmai.us/wiki/show?title=akita_neru
