Top TV Commercials - Tarako
Space Tarako
To kick off this series here’s a classic TV ad for Kyūpii Tarako Pasta Sauce.
The Product: According to Wikipedia tarako is salted Alaska Pollock roe. I’m not sure, but since the word tara means ‘cod’ in Japanese it may be used to refer to the eggs of a number of different white fish. Whichever fish they come from, tarako are basically red fish-egg sacs that are something akin to the fish version of oviducts (fallopian tubes). Not the most appetising of foods when you think about it!
Tarako can be prepared and cooked in a variety of dishes, but one popular method of eating it is as tarako spaghetti, where the tarako is broken up and mixed with spaghetti, butter and seaweed slivers or water cress. The Kyūpii company makes a convenience food version of this simple dish, their TV ads featuring a large number of CGI tarako to emphasise that the pasta sauce is packed with tarako.
The company’s logo is a baby, hence the baby’s face featured on the tarako in the commercials.
The Ads: Advancing battalions of marching and spinning tarako baffle foreign kids (”if gaijin kids are eating the stuff it must be good”). The bright colours, cute kids and catchy kids’ song are an odd combination with the CGI tarako, which many non-Japanese find creepy and sinister (one comment on YouTube reads, “This makes me even more afraid of Japanese people”).
The Stars: Not the CGI tarako or the gaijin kids that appear in the ads, but the two elementary school kids who sing the addictive song. Performing as ‘Kigurumi‘, Haruka and Rena made a music video and appeared on TV wearing strange tarako hats, subsequently taking the song to number 2 in the Japanese music charts.
Why It’s Top: Whether you love them or loathe them, the Kyupi Tarako commercials are undeniably memorable, and after watching them you’ll probably be unable to get the tune out of your head for several days. The commercials captured the public’s imagination in Japan, and spawned a CD, a slew of merchandise, imitation videos on YouTube, and some obsessive fans.
Other Tarako Videos
If you enjoyed the space tarako video above, check out the lone tarako, tarako army and spinning tarako commercials. Other tarako-related videos on YouTube include tarako music box, merchandise for sale and giant promotional tarako
videos.