Well this is unexpected…
“Let’s Play in Japanese” is one of Japan’s biggest
children’s TV shows. But this week the popular kids programme brought on a
quite risqué “member” to the usually child-friendly line up.
The makers of the show themselves didn’t intend
the character to look like a willy-headed wizard, instead the origin of the
character lie in Japanese folklore, specifically within the puppetry art of
Bunraku.
From the Bunraku Wikipedia page:
"... heads can be quite sophisticated
mechanically. In plays with supernatural themes, a puppet may be constructed so
that its face can quickly transform into that of a demon. Less complex heads
may have eyes that move up and down, side to side or close, and noses, mouths,
and eyebrows that move." Or in this
case, it’s forehead.
During the rerun of the programme previously shown
in 2012, the two characters are seen playing a song and then suddenly out of
nowhere this interesting character appears to many of the viewer’s shock or
amusement.
However it’s not surprising that most people
thought it was of a phallic nature as a photo of the show got over 4000 RTs on
a Twitter post.
Japanese TV is renowned for being rather strange so
who knows what is going to happen next!
Will Whitby
Will Whitby