Hello everyone~!! This is Saori from Japanese Snacks Republic!

This time, let’s do a quick column checking out that snack mascot character...... Why was it created? In Japan, this snack is the synonym for spicy treats! Let’s take a look at the profile and origins of the character drawn on that snack package!

To reintroduce, Karamucho is a potato chip snack made by snack manufacturer Koikeya, based on chili flavor with a strong spiciness! There are thin stick-like types and flat versions like regular potato chips, with various levels of spiciness! The greatest charm is that it’s not too spicy—it’s properly delicious spiciness~!

Now then, the mascot character on Karamucho packages is the grandmother ‘Hi-Obaachan’! But why a grandmother? The answer is not actually clear, but at the time of Karamucho’s release, the prevailing idea was ‘spicy potato chips will never sell.’ To overturn that! To bring in many elements different from others! That may be why they deliberately chose a grandmother character instead of a child. The name Morita Tomi comes from a child actress named Morita Nami, who appeared in Karamucho’s early commercials, and thus Hi-Obaachan was named ‘Morita Tomi’!

Spicy potato chips won’t sell! This grandmother character may have been born to break that impression...... Next time you eat Karamucho, try thinking about why that character looks the way she does—it might make it even tastier!