Pocky is a Japanese snack
food produced by the Ezaki Glico Company of Japan. It was first sold in 1965, under the name Chocoteck, and consists of a
biscuit stick coated with chocolate. Pocky was an instant
hit among Japanese teenagers, and brought in sales of 30 billion yen in its first two years. The name was changed to "Pocky", after the Japanese onomatopoetic word for the sound Pocky makes when bitten, pokkin. The original was followed by "Almond Pocky" in 1971, with an almond coating, and "Strawberry Pocky" in 1977. Today, the product line includes such variations as milk, mousse, green tea and
coconut flavored coatings, and themed products such as "Decorer Pocky", with colorful decorative stripes in the coating, and "
Men'
s Pocky", a dark (bittersweet) chocolate and "mature" version.
Pocky is very
popular in Japan. In bars, it is sometimes served in a glass of ice
water. It also has a significant presence in other East
Asian countries such as
China and Korea. In Europe, Pocky is renamed Mikado after the game Mikado. In the United States and Canada, Pocky can be found in
Asian supermarkets and the international section of most large supermarkets, as well as Wal-Mart Supercenters and anime convention dealers' rooms. In Malaysia, Pocky was renamed by the Glico Company as Rocky, perhaps to avoid a vulgar word in Malay with similar pronunciation. Pocky has recently been marketed in America by LU, a company of the Danone Group.
Outside of Japan, Pocky is fairly
popular among Japanophiles and otaku (anime fans). Its constant association with the Engrish phenomenon and the oddness of some of its versions (like the "
Men's Pocky" bittersweet flavor), as well as the several Pocky parodies seen on many anime/manga series, contribute to the snack's reputation.
