Strangely Disturbing Tarako Ads

Leave it to the Japanese to create something so strangely disturbing, it’s viral. A new series of ads selling salted Alaska pollock roe (tarako) pasta sauce in Japan features little armies of babies singing to young white girls. Yes, it’s as strange as it sounds. And it gets even stranger.

The song itself has a video.

And the babies are attacking Shibuya.

Just what are these monsters? J-Log explains — or at least attempts to.

What is Tarako-kewpie?
QP-chan (kewpie-chan) is the mascot for Kewpie — a food product maker who is most famous for its tasty Kewpie-mayonnaise. They have been around since the beginning of this century in Japan.

Tarako-kewpie is QP-chan inside a giant tarako. The character has become popular and is taking over Japan becuase it’s “kimo-kawaii” which is a kawaii variation where there is a scary creepy or grotesque element. “Kimoi” means gross, nasty etc. Therefore “Kimo-kawaii” is grotesquely-cute, get it?

Uh, no. As if all that wasn’t freaky enough, one fan put a face on the weirdness. Literally.

Another fan doesn’t mind so much. In fact, he’s welcomed the little cuties into his office.

Fear not, good citizen! You can fight the menace with this Flash game!

(Via Lolitron.)

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October 24, 2006 | Filed Under Advertising, Design, Video 

Comments

3 Responses to “Strangely Disturbing Tarako Ads”

  1. ade on October 29th, 2006 6:53 pm

    WTF?

  2. Mike Abundo on October 29th, 2006 6:56 pm

    That’s what I said, too.

  3. The Mike Abundo Effect on November 11th, 2006 6:22 pm

    Happy Pocky Day!…

    Happy Pocky Day, everyone. No, seriously — the popular biscuit sticks have their own official Japanese memorial day on November 11.

    To celebrate, here’s gravure idol Yui Aragaki doing a silly dance. Hey, at least it ain’t Tarako.
    (…

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