Funny that this should pop up right as I'm reading Idle Idol, all about the history of the Japanese mascot. This terrifying-looking guy is Obotchama-kun, from the Yoshinori Kobayashi manga of the same name. Why have you never heard of it? Well, the manga is from 1989. That's probably why. He starred in a few Namco videogames too.

Anyway, maybe I simply can't grasp the cultural significance since I didn't grow up in Japan, but this gigantic bank goes on sale this month for a mere 10,000 yen ($112 US) and can be purchased over at HLJ. I guess one of the bonuses here is that he is so large that once he's full you can empty him and go on vacation with the money, but his face looks too much like one of those clowns that comes to life and kills small children in horror movies. I don't know. I'm sure some quirky Japanese man will happily purchase him and display him among the plants in his garden.