What you see below is one my favorite things in Auckland.
It currently resides outside the great Tanuki Cave on Queen Street (best Tanuki Cave memory: Peter Montgomery offering me squid rings).
I do not know what it is, but I know it haunts my dreams.
MY DREAMS.
Update: here’s a Japanese tourist poster explaining nearly everything you need to know about the Tanuki.
No mention of the nipples and ball, but I quite like explanation of the stomach’s function: “Have calmness and daring.”
Yeah, that’s how it works for me too.
This may blow your mind a little, but thing in question is actually a Tanuki. The Japanese Raccoon Dog (seriously)
it’s a tanuki! (unsurprisingly…)
you can tell by the mischievious grin and the gigantic testicles.
Does it have to have nipples tho?
Of course it has to have nipples! There’s a Tom Robbins novel about Tanukis called Villa Incognito that you should read, and if I had a scanner, I’d dig out a photo that my parents took when we went to a village in Japan that specialises in ceramics and most specifically tanukis, of a 13 year old me standing next to a tanuki of the same height. It’ll blow your mind, maaaaaaan.
Well, it’s a mammal, so it needs the nipps to feed its young.
Though they are rather large boobs, which sits strangely with his large testicles.
nooo.. those are man-boobs. the tanuki is basically a cross between a buddha and a horny raccoon.
self-indulgent, but extremely wise on it.
I think the Tanuki balls are subtly referred to as “blob” on that poster. So big balls = lucky with money.
Hm. I think I might get the virtue tonight.
You’re going to get big balls tonight, Robyn? \m/ !
I recommend* getting the balls at the Tanuki Cave
*octopus balls that is
Get the virtue = sake!
If I said, “i’s gonna be lucky with money 2night!!!” then I’d be talking about balls.
It looks like Furby’s inbred country cousin.