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Oct 25 2007 6 Comments

The fickleness of fame

With Japan’s seemingly insatiable fondness for fads, Andy Warhol’s prediction of 15 minutes of fame could arguably be classed as a little on the long side, with many products and personalities whizzing by at such a frantic pace that one barely has the chance to holler has-been or even ask who?

Yet there are exceptions, or at least there used to be, as even the once mighty it seems can unfortunately fall foul of Japan’s unfaltering fickleness. Like, for example, the recent failure of the once formidable Anpanman empire.

Japanese anpanman museum

With a large selection of anime, stacks of merchandise and even a museum to his name, a lifetime of leisure seemed certain; however, even being based on a bun filled with beans obviously isn’t enough to fend off the never ending flow of fads. A dramatic fall in sales and a series of salacious slurs resulting in the once massive Anpanman travelling the country desperately searching for day jobs, his rosy cheeks now unabashedly blushed with booze rather than the aforementioned beans.

anpanman tokyo

A downfall that not surprisingly has sent shockwaves through the industry, with commentators all over Japan contemplating who may be next. Mickey working at McDonalds perhaps, or even, heaven forbid, Hello Kitty on heroin rather than a heroine?

Categorized: Photography, Television

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James Clarke says

    10/25/2007 at 10:52 pm

    Anpanman was a personal favorite of mine. I lament his downfall.

    Reply
  2. Brett says

    10/25/2007 at 11:02 pm

    You think that’s bad. You should see what Sailor Moon is doing these days to make ends meet.

    Reply
  3. Bunny says

    10/26/2007 at 2:59 pm

    Oh, the inhumanity! Bless him. Look at his filthy shoes. Oh, is there no refuge that will take him in? Oh, my sweet hemorrhoids.

    Reply
  4. AS says

    10/27/2007 at 7:10 am

    Lol, Hello Kitty on heroine, thats a possibility after she gets pregnant by some background character lol.

    Reply
  5. macboy says

    10/27/2007 at 8:20 am

    hey they have to make a buck..

    Reply
  6. Sandra says

    2/20/2013 at 3:43 pm

    Anpanman is awesome.

    Reply

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