Kin no unko (金のうんこ) or "golden poo" is a Japanese cultural phenomenon. It is a symbol of good luck, as the name is a pun meaning "golden poo" and "good luck" in Japanese.[1] By 2006, 2.7 million mobile phone charms in this form had been sold.[2][3] The symbol, or something similar to it called unchi, appears as an emoji available on many mobile devices that support a Unicode expansion made in the summer of 2014.[4] The charm is unusual outside of Japan but has been available from the English-language website ThinkGeek.[5]
The flame ornament atop the Asahi Beer Hall in Tokyo is called Kin no unko for its similarity.[6]
In popular culture
edit- The video games The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) contain an item known as Hestu's Gift, which resembles a Kin no unko.[7]
- Several skits of the golden poo appear in the animated American Dad series.
- The video game Cult of the Lamb released an update in which followers of your cult can create "golden poop" which provides money.[8]
- The Tamagotchi franchise features several characters based on Kin no unko such as Lucky Unchi-kun from the Tamagotchi Angel (1997) virtual pet, a secret character that is notoriously difficult to raise and considered a symbol of luck like its inspiration.[9]
References
edit- ^ Alice Gordenker (March 20, 2007), "Gold poop", Japan Times
- ^ Brian Lam (October 6, 2006), "Japanese Golden Poop Cellphone Charm", Gizmodo
- ^ George 2009.
- ^ Adam Sternbergh (November 16, 2014), "Smile, You're Speaking EMOJI: The rapid evolution of a wordless tongue", New York magazine
- ^ Laura Northrup (June 23, 2009), "Award Your Own Golden Poo To That Special Company In Your Life" (blog), Consumerist, Consumer Reports
- ^ Zatko 2014.
- ^ "Zelda: Breath of the Wild Has a Crappy Reward for Finding All 900 Korok Seeds".
- ^ Dedmon, Tanner (January 16, 2024). "Cult of the Lamb Releases Massive Sins of the Flesh Update". Comic Book. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ "Angelgotchi Encyclopedia: Sabotenshi, Lucky unchi-kun, Deburitchi, Bat & Gaikotchi". Tumblr.
Book sources
edit- George, Rose (2009), The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters, Macmillan, p. 25, ISBN 9781429925488
- Zatko, Martin (2014), The Rough Guide to Tokyo, Penguin, p. 69, ISBN 9780241011621
External links
edit
Media related to Kin no unko at Wikimedia Commons
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