Pocky: A Yummy Japanese Snack!

Pocky (pronounced poh-key or pokkin)is a snack food produced by the Japanese Glico Company. The first brand was sold in 1965 , it was called Chocoteck, and consists of a biscuit stick coated with chocolate. Pocky was an instant hit among Japanese teenagers and still continues to be. Later the name was changed to "Pocky", it sounded more suitable because when you bite into a Pocky stick it makes a pokkin sound as Japanese describe it.

Soon more Pocky flavors were being made "Almond Pocky" in 1971, with an almond coating, and one of my favorites "Strawberry Pocky" in 1977. Today, the product line includes such variations as milk, mousse, green tea and coconut flavored coatings but these flavors are harder to find outside Japan.

At times eating Pocky is taken quite seriously. It is sometimes served in a glass of ice water or a Champaign glass. It also very popular in other Asian countries such as China and South Korea. In Malaysia they renamed Pocky as Rocky to hide the obscene word that sounds similar to the pronunciation of Pocky in their language.

There are many Pocky fans in the United States, mostly Japanophiles ( people obsessed with Japanese culture). Even people who never tried it before are crazy about it. You can buy Pocky in most Asian groceries and Wal-Mart but you'll mostly find Strawberry, Chocolate and Milk flavor if your lucky. If you want other flavors then you can buy them in the J-List site for under two dollars.

There are many Pocky references in anime and manga (Japanese comic books). Some Pocky brands even sport anime characters on their boxes. My favorite manga Pocky reference is the cover of "Kimi wa Peto (You Are A Pet)". In the volume one the main character Sumire is holding a box of Pocky with one stick in her mouth and her 'pet' trying to get a bite.

Even though Pocky basically sells itself there are many Pocky commercials and ads out there. Most Pocky commercials range from cute to strange but all bring a smile to your face or make you burst out laughing. Some feature cute female idols such as the famous girl group Morning Mousume doing a dance retinue or flipping a skirt. One of the most common Pocky commercials is when people are put into a stressful situation such as being in a haunted house full of zombies or being put in a marriage that you don't want to be in. The character changes the mood buy taking out a Pocky stick, saying in a happy voice 'Anata no Watashi no Pocky! (Your's and Mine Pocky!)' and start doing the Pocky dance. A lot of super famous celebrities do more than one Pocky commercial, one of them being Nakama Yukie (The girl from the original movie 'The Ring').

Now you have a better understanding of Pocky. I bet your mouths are watering. Buy yourself a box to try for yourself in your local Asian grocery or Wal-Mart.