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Pickles the Frog

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Pickles the Frog
Spice Mix character
First appearance1994
Created byNakajima Corporation
In-universe information
Full namePickles The Frog
SpeciesAnthropomorphic frog
Gendersecret
Home

Pickles the Frog (Japanese: かえるのピクルス, Hepburn: Kaeru no Pikuruzu, stylized in all lowercase) is an anthropomorphic frog character created by Nakajima Corporation.

Overview

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In 1994, Nakajima Corporation introduced Pickles as part of the Spice Mix Series, based on the concept of "making fashionable plush toys as general goods".[1] The Spice Mix Series was developed in 1993 as a series of general goods plush toys, starting with bears and dogs, and was named after the original fabric made by curling acrylic thread and then mixing and weaving it, resulting in a distinct feel from ordinary plush fabric.[2] Eventually, Pickles became the only character in the series still in production.[3]

According to the official bio, Pickles was born on 1 June 1994, around the beginning of the rainy season. Pickles claims to hail from Qua Mei Dou, France, a wordplay on Kameidō, the location of Nakajima Corporation head office. Pickle's gender is "secret", and Pickles is "one cucumber" in height and "two cucumbers" in weight.[2]

In October 2006, Nakajima USA started to offer Pickles The Frog products.[2]

In 2013, Nakajima Corporation released the Pickles Safety Frog Backpack in collaboration with the Ishinomaki Reconstruction Assistance Network, a nonprofit organization formed in response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[4]

In 2016, the company started a crowdfunding campaign for a Pickles picture book, which proceeds would be partially donated for the reconstruction of areas affected by the 2011 Tōhoku and 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. The campaign collected 6.45 million yen.[5]

Pickles has been part of the tourism marketing efforts of the Northern Mariana Islands, and special edition plush toys were released in collaboration with the Marianas Visitors Authority in 2017 and 2018.[6][7][8] In December 2018, a series of limited edition Pickles dolls was released in collaboration with the girl group Hiragana Keyakizaka46.[9][10] Pickles has also been featured on the variety show Ametalk! and as merchandise for the drama adaptation of the manga series An Incurable Case of Love.[11][12]

Animated series

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An animated series titled Kaeru no Pickles: Kimochi no Iro (かえるのピクルス -きもちのいろ-, lit.'Pickles the Frog: The Color of Feelings') was aired on BS12 TwellV [ja] satellite channel from October 4 to December 27, 2020. The series featured the voices of Megumi Hayashibara, Saori Hayami, Miku Kanemura, Akari Nibu, and Miho Watanabe, among others. It ran for 12 episodes, each around two minutes long.[1][13][14][15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "かえるのピクルス – きもちのいろ – | 無料アニメ番組 | BS無料放送ならBS12(トゥエルビ)". BS12トゥエルビ (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "profile – かえるのピクルス ピクルスホーム". Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  3. ^ "あの、かえるのぬいぐるみ。実は他にもキャラいたけど生き残ったのが、かえるだけだった | カメイドタートルズ 亀戸情報発信メディア". www.kameidoclock.jp (in Japanese). 15 February 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  4. ^ "災害に備え「かえるリュック」 石巻でNPOが監修". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 7 October 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. ^ "念願の絵本制作 いつも笑顔の大人気キャラクター「かえるのピクルス」はじめての絵本プロジェクト" [First picture book project for "Pickles the Frog," a very popular character who always has a smile on their face.]. camp-fire.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  6. ^ "【6月6日はかえるの日】マリアナ政府観光局と「かえるのピクルス」がコラボ!第2弾はマリアナブルーのピクルス誕生". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1|PR TIMES. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Island Snapshots - March 2018". Saipan Tribune. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  8. ^ "MVA joins JATA Tourism Expo 2019". Saipan Tribune. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  9. ^ @picklesthefrog6 (8 December 2018). "けやき坂46さまの日本武道館公演『ひらがなくりすます2018』の開催を記念して、かえるのピクルスビーンドールが発売になります!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "ひらがなくりすます2018 オフィシャルグッズストア受付開始のお知らせ". 欅坂46公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  11. ^ "SPECIAL COLLABORATION 火曜ドラマ 恋はつづくよどこまでも×かえるのピクルス pickles the frog". shopping.tbs.co.jp. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  12. ^ "『アメトーーク!』『恋つづ』でも人気のキャラ「かえるのピクルス」アニメ化". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  13. ^ Inc, Natasha. "アニメ「かえるのピクルス」10月から放送、林原めぐみ・木村昴や日向坂46も出演". コミックナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 May 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ "Pickles the Frog Character Gets TV Anime Shorts on October 4". Anime News Network. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  15. ^ "pickles anime". Archived from the original on 27 October 2021.
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