The above is a mascot for Japan's largest telecommunication network, DoCoMo. I'd always find it very interesting how the Japanese play with words to form mascots or telephone helplines or jingles. Anyway, the above mushroom-head is also endearingly known as the 'DoCoMoDake'. I'd always wondered how the hell did a mushroom became associated with a telecommuncation network because I just couldn't see the link. Now I do after my Tokyo spy dearly explained it to me.
In Japanese, mushrooms are also known as 'take' (well, some species are anyway). DoCoMoDake simply means Only DoCoMo ('dake' when translated into English is 'only'). So I guess the company played the words 'take' and 'dake' and came up with the little mushroom-head. And voila, a new mascot is born. According to this website http://whatjapanthinks.com/ (which I frequently visit to kill time), the DoCoMoDake is Japan's 5th cutest mascot. Sanrio's Hello Kitty only managed a third. I almost fell off my chair when I found out what was considered Japan's cutest character. You should check out the site to see.
My jaws dropped when I found out that the famed Tokyo Tower has a mascot too. My god and is it ugly.
I can't remember how the name came about but the Noppon comes in a pair. There is one in a red shirt and another in a blue shirt. They are brothers and one half of the pair is sinister. It plays tricks on people and talks trash. At least that was what my Tokyo spy told me. Amazing isn't it?
Just about everything has a mascot in Japan. It's the easiest way to enter the people's consciousness and earn some revenue at the same time.
Of course, the one that takes the cake would be Prince Pickles!
Prince Pickles is the mascot for the JSDF. The Japan Self Defense Forces.......right now I am happy to be Singaporean. If Prince Pickles happens to be a mascot for MY self defense forces, I would immediately jump in front of the next MRT train. The forces are doomed anyway.
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