Why is Dotonbori’s Glico Running Man sign so Popular?

If you look up pics of Dotonbori (sometimes stylized Dotombori or Dotonburi) in Osaka, you don’t have to scroll far before you see someone posing in front of the Glico running man sign. But why? What’s so special about some cartoon dude T-posing with a leg up?

Well as it turns out, the Osaka Glico Man sign was installed all the way back in 1935. It’s not just a quirky sign on Ebisubashi bridge, it’s the quirky sign for all of Japan. But again, why?

How did a track runner striking a pose become the face of Glico’s multinational enterprise?

Origins of the Glico man

This whole running man icon started with a piece of caramel candy. Can you believe it? The entire marketing campaign barely relates to the product it’s trying to promote.

Glico’s logic was straightforward. A piece of the glycogen caramel candy contained enough calories to run 300 meters. Does the math check out? Shut up. It’s a great ad, ok?

Another part of what makes it so iconic is that it’s been around through numerous changes in Osaka’s commercial landscape. It went from physical, to neon to LED being among the first billboards to adopt neon and LED in Osaka for the time period. The sign may not be impressive, but it’s consistence presence in the past 80+ years is.

The man behind the man?

Contrary to what his name might indicate, Glico’s iconic running man is based off a real person… Or rather 3 real persons. You see, Glico man’s look was a character tested with a focus group in which they’d determined that the original Glico running man’s face was too intimidating. Thus the face was changed into a smiling one based off of the 3 most popular runners’ pictures.

The Glico company details 2 of the 3 runners that Glico running man was based off. One was Fortunato Catalon, a Filipino track & field runner that won gold in the 1923 Far Eastern Championship Games hosted in Osaka. The second was Shizo Kanakuri, a marathon runner active between 1912 and 1924 who is considered the father of marathon in Japan. The reason is that he was one of the only 2 athletes Japan sent in its first participation of the Olympic Games back in 1912.

Modern updates

Though the billboard placement has never changed, the Running Man sign has changed a few times over the years to celebrate sports teams and commemorative events.

Notable ones include:

  • The Tokyo Olympics
  • The Hanshin Tigers
  • The World Cup
  • Takuma Sato winning the Indy 500

Bonus & FAQ

Glico as a company is so happy with the unusual popularity of the Running Man sign that it even has a guide on how to take good pictures. What’s a trip to Osaka without a few pics for the gram?

You won’t have to go out of your way to find it, the sign is right in the middle of the Ebisubashi bridge. You’ll have to cross it at some point if you’re visiting Osaka for any length of time.

What is the Osaka Glico Running Man?

He is the face of the Glico company. His face is a mishmash of 3 professional runners from the early 1900s back when the company first started the running man ad campaign.

Why is Glico famous?

Glico is a food company that originally built its name from a glycogen caramel candy. Today, Glico is famous for multiple products such as Pocky & Pretz sticks, curry cubes, cream stew cubes and ICREO baby formula.

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