1980s Japanese commercial for anti-itch remedy

A Japanese okusan relieves her pet octopus' maddeningly itchy tentacles in this "Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" inspired TV commercial for and anti-itch remedy. Link

• [travelina]

  @Hokkaido Hillbilly: thanks for the explanation, But since you live in Hokkaido, don’t you think she should have used Mr. Sparkle instead? If he’s disrespectful to dirt and can disintegrate two-headed cows, most likely he would be able to banish athlete’s foot to the land of wind and ghosts also. Can you see that he is serious?
  http://video.yahoo.com/watch/309884

  Also, have you ever eaten ice cream ramen? http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/23/ice-cream-ramen.html

• [Rider]

  The origin of tentacle porn.

• [allthegoodnamesaretaken]

  I, for one, welcome our new Hydrostat overlords.

• [kaosdevice]

  Nobody wants an itchy Cthulhu.

• [insomma]

  So is all the initial dialogue him trying to tell her exactly which, er, sucker cup is itching?

• [adamnvillani]

  Yeah, the dialogue is the octopus trying to tell the woman which sucker it is that needs the ointment.

• [Jcyreus]

  That’s pretty funny even without understanding the dialog.

  Personally I have always been facinated by Japanese culture.

  Earlier this week I posted an article on jcyreus dot Com in response to a news story I heard on NPR about how Japanese businesses are offering people over 65 special discounts and services for surrendering their driver’s licenses. Interesting stuff, if you’re interested…

  http://jcyreus.com/blog/2008/03/19/convincing-grandpa-to-give-up-his-drivers-license/

• [RJ]

  Most advertising seems very weird when you don’t understand the language or aren’t familiar with the culture.

  I used to think French advertising was so risqué until I realized that it wasn’t French perversion so much as it was my conservative American upbringing.

  And of course, different responses to different countries’ ads. But you know what I mean.

• [Antinous]

  The actual origin of tentacle porn

• [Clumpy]

  I’ve seen Asian paintings with this thing, but they’re a great deal more graphic. Still, it’s hard to believe that the Japanese wouldn’t have the darker side of tentacles in mind as they watched this ad. . .

• [Tenn]

  My brain just exploded. Thanks a LOT Antinous. Weird stranger.

  Some octopus tentacle-images have nine tentacles (or scupture, in netsuke). Guess what the ninth symbolizes.

  Clumpy-

  OF COURSE they had the darker side in mind. Japan is responsible for all dark sides of innocent things. Seriously.

• [Takuan]

  Shunga? Dark? Poor child, you must travel one day.

• [Hokkaido Hillbilly]

  Just a quick note…what they’re hawking in this commercial is actually athlete’s foot (水虫/mizumushi) medicine, which now that I think about it, makes a lot more sense than regular old anti-itch cream for giant tentacle porn.

  (yes, my brain is a bit addled from living here for the last 8 years)

• [adamnvillani]

  Yeah, finding the the application of athlete’s foot ointment to quivering, groping octopus tentacles strange is just typical American cultural imperialism. Or, um, maybe not.