The Bottom Biting Bug Mania!! (Oshiri Kajiri Mushi)

Introducing "The Bottom Biting Bug." A recent character craze among the old and young in Japan.


It's a bug's life: The Bottom Biting Bug is a fairy who is 18th in a long line of butt biters. The family line began in ancient Assyria (Iraq). In The Age of Geographical Discovery Bottom Biting Bug's parents traveled to The Golden Country, Zipang, to bite gold butts.

He speaks in a Osaka dialect because that's where his parents were when he was born.

The idea was simple, if a little unusual: The writers feel that people in Japan these days just aren't nosy enough, and wanted to do something about it.


His bites bring people together. When he bites people they feel the same sort of excitement as when they strike up a conversation with someone they don't know.

By reminding folks of the fun of spontaneously butting into others' business, the Bottom Biting Bug does his part to help people connect.



A husband-and-wife team dreamed up the helpful little critter and produced his debut song.

In their opinion, people keep to themselves so much that nobody butts into the business of others anymore. They feel that encouraging people to be more nosy--and thus more connected to those around them--will do the world some good.

Because of this, the Bottom Biting Bug was born. The character is "kimo-kawaii" (icky-cute), the melody is simple and horribly catchy, and the plan seems to be working.

As soon as it first aired in June, the song spread like wildfire among kindergarten and young elementary school students. Then their moms started noticing, and before long it was everywhere.

A CD and DVD has been released, picture books are in the works, and there's talk of producing character goods.


(note that the lines that really don't make sense are Japanese puns)