What is its purpose? That’s completely up to you.
Developing a new product is no easy task. It takes a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears to come up with something that people both want and find useful. However, if you’d rather avoid that arduous process, you could just do what one Japanese company recently did: create something and then ask the public to figure out what it could be used for.
Meet Pechimoto Pechiro
Dubbed “Pechimoto Pechiro” (ペチもとペチろー), this roughly 2-inch-long, sticky, stretchy semi-anthropomorphic rectangular resin stick with a hole on the top and no official purpose is the creation of KNK Corp., a Fukuoka-based company that primarily makes plastic molded products for use in electronics and cars. It began its life as a rejected resin part intended for use in electrical devices found on utility poles. After it was decided the part would not be put into production, the company put the metal mold used to make it into storage rather than just getting rid of it. However, after some time, KNK decided to attempt to find a way to salvage the time and money they had invested into the creation of the mold.
The rejected resin stick that would evolve into Pechimoto Pechiro
KNK’s decision resulted in a long trial-and-error process which led one KNK team member to propose using a kind of soft resin that the company did not normally deal with. It is this resin that gave what would become Pechimoto Pechiro its ability to stick to things and stretch.
“There’s times when I ride the train.”
たまに電車に乗ることもあります#ペチもと#ペチろー#電車#乗る#景色#train pic.twitter.com/0S8Q7lEPNs
— ぺ・じろう (@IVYpuf9vMysdHs0) November 12, 2017
Still not satisfied, the folks at KNK kept at it until one day someone noticed that the round protrusions at the bottom of the stretchy resin stick resembled someone’s feet standing at attention. This inspired them to make the stick look more human by giving it a necktie and two protrusions near the top of the stick that make it look like it has arms crossed behind its back.
“On Vacation? Or stranded?”
バカンス？遭難？#ペチもと#ペチろー#遭難#vacation pic.twitter.com/gAsXLjYRuf
— ぺ・じろう (@IVYpuf9vMysdHs0) October 25, 2017
With its new human-like appearance, the soft resin stick was now ready to receive a proper name. So in the summer of 2017 KNK named it Pechimoto Pechiro. This peculiar sounding name comes from combining the smacking sound (pechi) Pechimoto makes when thrown against a wall, with a generic sounding Japanese name, such as Yamamoto (last name) Taro (first name). And with that, Mr. Pechiro Pechimoto, as he would be called in the West, became both KNK’s first product to be developed in-house and their newest (and smallest) “employee.”
“I tamed it.”
手懐けました#ペチもと#ペチろー#アザラシ#流行り#キャラクター#有名 pic.twitter.com/c9bpDDm9YB
— ぺ・じろう (@IVYpuf9vMysdHs0) January 6, 2018
Although Pechimoto was not designed with any specific purpose in mind, that hasn’t stopped KNK from trying to find a use for their creation. Perhaps the most promising avenue that they have been pursuing is using Pechimoto as a fishing lure. Apparently, company employees have used Pechimoto while fishing and enjoyed some success. It is perhaps for this reason that, as one of the overseers of the Pechimoto Pechi ro Project revealed to Japankyo, they are planning to release Pechimoto in fishing goods stores in both the Fukuoka and Nagasaki areas later this month (March).
Fishing with Pechimoto Pechiro
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However, KNK is not satisfied with Pechimoto just being a fishing accessory. And so, they have put out a truly heart-felt press release and website explaining their situation and asking people to come up with ideas for what their creation could be used for. In these public statements, KNK explains that much like humans and their search for meaning in their lives, Pechimoto Pechiro is currently looking for meaning in his. He is on a quest to find himself and even though he may face the occasional setback, he will give it his all and asks for the public’s support.
“Not a rocket”
ロケットではありません#ペチもと#ペチろー#ロケット#流行り#キャラクター#おもしろい pic.twitter.com/wVR6TJNrar
— ぺ・じろう (@IVYpuf9vMysdHs0) January 12, 2018
When Pechimoto Pechiro hits store shelves in the next few weeks it is planned to come in a two-pack and sell for 300 yen (slightly less than 3 USD). However, even though Pechimoto may be making its debut to the general public at fishing shops, KNK is still adamant that they want people to come up with other uses for it. They are currently asking people to submit vis social media their ideas on ways in which Pechimoto can be used. So if you’re interested in seeing more wacky images of Pechimoto, then make sure to check out Pechimoto’s Twitter and Instagram pages. Or you could also check out the Japanese news report below, which shows both the factory where Pechimoto is made and various uses for it, including as just something fun to stretch mindlessly like a hand spinner, or as a way to stick your smartphone to a flat vertical surface so you can watch videos hands-free.
Special thanks to Mr. Todoroki at KNK Corp. for personally providing additional information.
Source: Pechimoto Pechiro Official Website, PR Times
Featured image: Pixabay
Body images: PR Times
