Bringing Oyaji Humor to the Masses
From Japan
Japanese puzzle and game maker, Beverly Enterprises Inc., recently introduced a product designed to appeal to the funny bone of middle-aged men. It is a card game with the title Oyaji Gag Karuta, and the maker’s hope is that in these tough economic times customers will see the product as a way to enjoy themselves without having to spend a lot of money (This 88-card set currently retails in Japan for 1575 yen, or about $15).
In the Japanese language, oyaji is an informal word meaning “dad”, but it is often also used to refer to middle-aged men who are not relatives, usually in an unflattering way. For example, an Oyaji Gag is a stale pun of the type favored by middle-aged men. In Japanese, a common response to an Oyaji Gag is “Samui!”, or that the joke was so bad it sends chills down your spine.
Karuta is a card game where the object is to grab more cards than your opponents, and it is often played during elementary and junior high-school as an educational exercise. Equal amounts of two types of cards are used, the yomifuda or “reading cards” and the torifuda or “grabbing cards.” In addition to the players, there is a person assigned to read the yomifuda. Each time he/she does, the players must scramble to find the card with a written phase that matches what has been said. In the Oyaji Gag version, the torifuda incorporate these jokes. For those studying Japanese, this could be a fun way to learn although you might get some strange looks when you try out your new phrases!
Beverly Enterprises, Inc.
www.be-en.co.jp (Japanese only)
