To close out an insane year, Toyota U.K. has pulled the wraps off a GR Yaris that pays tribute to essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Revealed at the WRC season closer in Monza, Italy, the car is decorated with a mural designed by a 16-year-old high school student as part of a "Design a Rally Car Livery" art contest sponsored by Toyota and Wales Rally Great Britain.

The car, you may notice, is wearing the unofficial symbol of 2020 — a face mask with elastic straps wrapped around the side mirrors. Along its sides are profiles of a nurse, teacher, construction worker, shopkeeper and a police officer, representing professions that have kept the world turning during the health crisis.

A character representing dreams and hope from the disaster-hit city of Rikuzentakata in northeastern Japan has won an annual contest to decide the country's most popular local mascot.

Local authorities, companies and other organizations create mascots to promote their communities and activities. Such mascots, called "Yuru-Chara," usually feature cute, yet unsophisticated designs.

Some 300 giant pumpkins weighing over 60 kilograms each have been gathered at a contest in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, ahead of the Halloween season.

The contest in the city of Hitachiomiya judges which pumpkin is the heaviest. The annual event began 12 years ago when around 40 local farmers started growing pumpkins.