Aokubi Daikon
Japan is famous for its cute/strange characters which have been developped mainly for the purpose of merchandising. Probably the most famous of these characters would be Hello Kitty. There are many other little branded characters you can spend your money on, and the most recent ones are the Aokubi Daikon series.
So why am I talking about gadgets in the Food section? Because a these particular characters are daikons, and in case you don’t know it yet, a daikon is Japanese giant white radish (sometimes called daikon radish). It has the shape of a giant carrot, approximately 8 to 14 inches (200 to 350 mm) long and 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm) in diameter.
The Aokubi Daikon (I couldn’t figure out if it was the name of one main character or just the name of the series) come in various shapes and forms of course, from giant plush toys to pens, to stickers, to traditional bento lunchboxes.
They also made little angry purses. The message is too deep for me to understand it fully, but you gotta admit they look original.
These daikons have human features, with the facial expression of a daikon of course. You can find them pretty much everywhere these days. In Tokyo, at least.
Aokubi Daikon were created by Takara, the famous toy company, and Kiddy Land, the (also famous) Harajuku toy store. And of course they have an official website. There, you will find a flash animated cartoon which I urge you to go and watch. It shows a daikon’s everyday life, including relaxing in hot springs and watching mount Fuji, or going (to bed?) in the middle compartment of a fridge… In case you’re interested to see the whole lineup of merchandising associated to this series, there is of course a section for this as well. Which one is your favorite?
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June 4th, 2005 at 2:56 pm
i love aokubi and i want to buy stuff in the us. i cant find it anyware.
June 22nd, 2005 at 9:26 am
I have that lunch box!!! Right before I left Japan I was given one as a going away present. Also, I saw a giant plush daikon in Osaka and had my picture taken with it.
October 18th, 2005 at 12:29 am
I love Aokubi Daikon too! As a matter of fact, I just brought my Aokubi Daikon stickers to work today to share with my co-workers :) I really wish I had bought more Aokubi Daikon stuff when I was still in Japan, since I can’t seem to find it on eBay or anywhere here in the US. :(
December 14th, 2005 at 10:58 pm
I won one recently in a UFO catcher. The facial expressions are classic - I had to have him!!
May 6th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
aokubi daikon is very weird and dodgy - gives me the creeps!!! i don’t think it should be for children!!! you should see “Hello Buddha” the new character that has just been released in Japan. it’s an awesome character!!!
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 am
AAAHHH!! I JUZ love them!! they are just so unique! my new pal! yeah yeah! i want the big push toy!:)) i dunno where to find them in singapore:((