Anyone remember the Touch Detective series for the Nintendo DS? No? Well, if you don’t, don’t feel bad, as they pretty much went unnoticed by most of the gaming populace. Funnily enough, however, the cute mushroom “mascot” of the game, Funghi, or Nameko in Japanese, has recently taken the nation by storm, and I highly doubt most of the people consuming the plethora of character merchandise actually know where it came from.
Funghi’s gotten so popular, in fact, that he’s spawned a strangely calming little mushroom cultivation app for mobile devices, as well as a match-three-esque puzzle game that you can play a sample of online here. Very soon, fans will even get to play the puzzle game on their 3DS’s! So, while Touch Detective drifts into the unknown, Funghi’s superstar status continues to propel him forward. It’s funny how some things take off unexpectedly, isn’t it?
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| Funny how a game based solely on the popularity of a minor character is celebrating developer Success’ 35th anniversary |
Of course, any cute character that’s anyone gets a Hello Kitty crossover at some point or another, and Funghi is no exception. Spurred on by my recent acquisition of a copy of the December 2012 issue of the Japanese version of Seventeen magazine, I thought I’d share some of the weirdly adorable Hello Kitty designs featured in its pages. I think it’s pretty obvious by the two page spread and the fact that the free pouch that came with the issue is plastered with Hello Kitty x Funghi that the collaboration has proben to be quite popular with the young female crowd!
Even the bag the freebie comes in is cute! I wonder what the significance of apples is, though… (you’ll see more of them later)
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| Side A of freebie pouch |
I always found it a little creepy that the sound Funghi makes is “nnf nnf”…
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| Side B of freebie pouch |
Closeup of the decal on the front. Apparently this marks the first time Hello Kitty has appeared without any clothes on. And what on earth is that thing in the middle?
Two page spread featuring Funghi x Hello Kitty merchandise. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version!
My favorite thing about the Funghi phenomenon is all the different Funghi varieties there are! I especially like the fuzzy purple Funghi-wearing Hello Kitty shown above.
I should probably actually read the descriptions surrounding all of these illustrations, because I have absolutely no idea what apples and pharaohs have to do with Funghi. Either way, it’s pretty cute!
Finally, here’s but a small sample of the Funghi x Hello Kitty merchandise available in Japan.
Food for thought/Additional information:
- Success, the developers of Touch Detective and Touch Detective 2 1/2, did Zoo Keeper and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja for the DS!
- Not only can you buy Touch Detective and Touch Detective 2 1/2 in English on iOS devices, but Mushroom Garden/Funghi Gardening Kit and Mushroom Garden: European Winter are available for both iOS and Android devices for free! Go check them out! They’ve taken Japan by storm, and I, too, have been sucked in by the charm of Mushroom Garden: European Winter (I think it has something to do with the snow)
- The Funghi mobile games are done by a company called Beeworks Games, who also happen to have a Facebook page where they post far too many cute Funghi pictures
- Alternatively, you could go to the main Funghi website (Japanese only) if you wish to truly understand the reach this weird little mushroom character has
Funghi with a bow tie… *__* So adorable!
“I have absolutely no idea what apples and pharaohs have to do with Funghi.”
Isn’t it obvious? Clearly Funghi is part of a conspiracy to reveal the truth regarding the pyramids’ creation — that is, he’s a hyper-dimensional being of such marked intelligence and benevolence that he imbued mankind with the technology and skill needed to adapt and evolve; as a reward for his good deeds, a small subsection of the population devoted their lives to honoring Funghi, and that sect’s ancestors went on to spread the word to a slew of Japanese developers eager to honor the unearthly patron.
Also, he loves apples.
…Or maybe it’s just a themed costume. Could go either way, I suppose.
Ha ha! I love this kind of weirdo collaborations 🙂 Also, I’m pretty fond of the Funghi character–even though I’ve yet to play either of the Touch Detective games.
BTW, I hate to have to ask this, but the Funghi character is supposed to look kind of … penile, right? If so, maybe that’s why he says “nnf nnf” (blushes).
Sorry if the above is part of Touch Detective/Funghi lore that I wasn’t aware of before now…
Okay, that’s way better than the canon story could ever be, so I’m just going to go with that! 😉
But in all seriousness I should read the descriptions and see if they say anything about all this weirdness…
Some of them look a bit weird, but the bow tie is pretty darn cute!
Hah! Well, Funghi is based off of an actual type of mushroom called “nameko” in Japanese, hence why he’s unoriginally called Nameko in Japan.
They kind of, well, look a bit penile too, so I guess that’s a logical explanation! If that’s really where “nnf nnf” came from, then it’s even weirder, in my opinion O_O
In all seriousness, the naked Hello Kitty Funghi looks a bit creepy to me, especially with those lines on her torso!
I thought you’d appreciate the little factoid that the team behind Touch Detective also did Zookeeper DS! Or did you already know that?
Ah, I didn’t know they were based off of an actual type of mushroom. That makes me feel a bit better 🙂
That said, I wouldn’t be completely surprised if we’re also supposed to see them as being somewhat penile. Honestly, I gave Touch Detective a side-eye when I first came across it due to this character.
Also, I did know that Zookeeper DS was made by Success, but I completely missed until now that Success also made this game. Interesting!
Guess what, Anne? After playing the demo you linked to in this post and deciding this game was a basically an upgraded Zoo Keeper (which is a good thing, IMO), I decided to pre-order the 3DS version. Yep, it’ll be my first import 3DS game. Kind of weird, I know, but I love this kind of game and at the moment I’d rather play it than, say, Taiko 3DS. I do plan on getting that one eventually, though–maybe it’ll be my second import 3DS title?
I think that’s awesome! The game certainly looks cute but my copy of Zookeeper is woefully neglected, so I don’t know how much play I’d personally get out of a similar puzzle game. That said, I wouldn’t mind picking this one up myself for its creepy/cute charm!
Were you able to preorder a copy that comes with some of the cute bonuses? I think you can get a pouch or something…
I pre-ordered the game via Play-Asia, Anne, and they currently don’t have much information up about what will come with it. I do hope the pouch comes with it, and maybe the sheet of stickers, too? (At least, it looks like a sheet of stickers…) Anyway, I’ll let you know after I finally get my hands on it (in early March, I’m guessing).