If the cover video above was your first encounter with Mameshiba, you’ll no doubt still be wondering what on earth is going on (understanding the Japanese doesn’t really help). But that’s just an introduction. The meat of the Mameshiba… thing (for want of a better word) are the following 30-second animated shorts, complete with annotated English translations. Watch them and see if you’re any wiser by the end.

I first encountered these videos playing at variety stores like Tokyu Hands early on in the year. Surrounded by Mameshiba plush toys, keychains and other such products bearing the image of the cute critters, it appeared to be simply another set of promotional videos for yet another range of wacky characters vying for the attention of a population who must surely be long de-sensitised to this kind of thing by now. At the time, I didn’t understand the majority of what was being said, but it soon became clear that whatever news these cute creatures were imparting in their impossibly sweet voices were (literally) casting dark shadows on the activities of their hapless human acquaintances. I’m not sure whether it was the simple, hand-drawn presentation, or the hilarious heavenly music that marked each character’s appearance, or merely the sheer bizareness of the entire concept that sucked me in. It was probably all of those things. In any case, it wasn’t long until I found myself watching them at every opportunity, even when I’d already seen them all an embarassing number of times before.

But it’s moot to point out that Japan is no stranger to cute characters, armies of which have been created to promote nigh-on everything under the sun – material and abstract – for decades. So what makes Mameshiba any different?

Well, what I didn’t find out until much later was that the bulk of these promotional videos came out before any of the now-ubiquitous merchandise was even conceived. That’s why it’s impossible to tell what they’re trying to sell, because at the time of their release, there weren’t any products to sell. The only thing being promoted (quite heavily, and across a wide spectrum of media) was the Mameshiba brand itself.

The company behind the campaign is Dentsu, the largest advertising agency in Japan and one of the biggest in the world. Their idea, which I find fascinating, was simple. Instead of creating a brand around an existing product, they reversed the paradigm and created the brand first, blanketed the media with it and then waited for other companies – those that would actually manufacture the yet-to-be-decided products – to approach them. And if you’ve ever set foot into a Japanese toy or novelty store this year, you’d be hard pressed to deny that the idea paid off. Big time. (How big? Have a skip through the following video by a fellow Mameshiba fan taken at a Mameshiba event in Odaiba and you’ll soon get an idea of how many products this brand has spawned).

I’m not an advertising guru by any stretch, so I’m not sure if this kind of thing has been done before. If you know of any similar campaigns, please share them in the comments below. Otherwise, good luck getting that Mameshiba theme tune out of your head.

Mameshiba – Curiosite
mameshibavideo’s Channel – YouTube
Dentsu – Wikipedia
Mameshiba – Official Website (Japanese)