No matter who are what you are, I’m pretty sure that you’ve come across Pocky at least once in your lifetime.  You now, those thin and delicious Japanese crackers dipped in milk chocolate, and if not that type, probably some other variant.  As I made my way through the aisle of my favorite Japanese super market, I had a craving for Pocky sticks.  While I am usually inclined on purchasing the original flavor, I opted for Men’s Pocky over the status quo.  The “Men’s”version is just made with dark chocolate…because nothing screams manliness like dark chocolate…

I didn’t really take notice of the box until I started to open it on my way to the car.  It was then I noticed the cartoon figure on the lower right corner of the box (See  below).

Obviously, it was a penguin, and it looked like it was hanging over a bag of some sort.  At this time, I still had no idea what it was.  I turned the box over to open it and noticed the back.

Seriously, the box transforms into a penguin?  Is the penguin a sign of masculinity in Japan?  The whole time I thought Men’s Pocky invoked a strong sense of masculinity, you know, a man’s man…yet judging from the box, there’s nothing manly about Men’s Pocky!  Most importantly, is it really necessary in the first place?  In fact, I think I just lost some major man points from buying this product.  I have no choice but to go to the forest and strangle a bear with my bare hands to gain those man points back.  While I’m not against the idea of having a bit of fun with the packaging, I just think it’s more appropriate for the other versions of Pocky.  Penguins just don’t scream manliness, it doesn’t go with the product’s image.

Well, I know what you’re thinking, you’re probably wondering what it looks like fully transformed into cutesy penguin mode.

What is it supposed to do…guard my groceries from predators?

I think my North Face backpack just lost some man points.

I’m pretty sure the purpose of the box is to have it latch on to a bag of some sort for easy snacking access for people who are on the go.  But in all honesty, would you walk around in public with a penguin peeping out of the bag?  Maybe I’m just not man enough to rock that look.  At least the Pocky sticks are tasty.