As successful as manga and anime are in the west, in Japan you'll find stores dedicated to them which dwarf those in America. Even seasoned weebs will discover aisles loaded with merch rarely seen outside the country, and among it will probably be items dedicated to The Laughing Salesman.
Despite never making waves in the States, The Laughing Salesman was a monster hit in 1980s Japan. The series was an anthology that followed a different troubled protagonist every episode. Somewhere in the episode's run time, the protagonist encounters the eponymous salesman who gives them an item designed to ease their specific shortcomings. But, as with any good morality tale, the item comes with a hefty "price" and an even more severe curse.
In the video linked above, YouTuber Kenny Lauderdale goes into the history of The Laughing Salesman and how the character's visage and merchandise have remained so incredibly popular for decades.
