nanana

Almost all Japanese TV stations have their own official mascots, and TV TOKYO is definitely not out of the loop. Their official mascot is Nanana, a banana who bends into the shape of the number “7” (the channel number of TV TOKYO).

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Nanana was created as a celebration of TV Tokyo’s 50th Anniversary in September of 2013. His name was chosen through public applications and was announced on December 23, 2013. Nanana’s birthday is on July 7.

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This mascot was originally a dessert of the “B Set” lunch menu of TV TOKYO’s cafeteria, but felt a sense of danger the moment before being eaten, and evolved into a character. Since then, Nanana has gone through many twists and turns to become a Banana Employee. Here is a short clip of how he became who he is today:


 

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Nanana usually does not talk, but you can hear him speak on the show “Tokyo Live 22-ji ~Nichiyoru Mattari Namahousouchu~.” The voice actor of this character is comedian Hakata Daikichi. You’d expect Nanana to have a high-pitched, adorable voice, yet in reality, Hakata uses his normal voice so it’s quite surprising.

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Not only does he appear in events held by TV TOKYO, Nanana has also made a guest appearance on the anime “Yu☆Gi☆Oh ARC-V.”

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Since February 26, 2015, Nanana has also become a mascot of BS Japan, a company held by TV TOKYO. BS Nanana will be representing this station as it reaches its 15th anniversary. In this case, he wears a suit with the BS Japan logo.


 

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Nanana also has his own exercise routine called “Nanana Taiso.” TV TOKYO’s YouTube channel has a playlist dedicated to performances of this exercise. They have even asked staff members to go along as well. Konno Asami, who is an ex-member of Morning Musume and now an announcer at TV TOKYO, also shows an example. Here are some of the uploads:


 

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Nanana has a variety of original goods as well, which you can view here. He has collaborated with Hello Kitty for some of the goods! (Wow, Hello Kitty is everywhere. So cute.)

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Nanana has an official site under TV TOKYO. Here, you can download free Nanana-related materials, as well as read up on his recent activities on his blog. He also has a Twitter account with over 56,000 followers.

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Nanana has become a huge commercial hit, with over 3,000 people visiting his special exhibition last March. On July 7, 2015, Nanana will be releasing a recipe book titled “ナナナのないしょのバナナレシピ77 (Nanana no Naisho no Banana Recipe 77).”

Images: TV TOKYO


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