Choromatsu, the Sony Walkman monkey, dies

Choromatsu has gone to the giant monkey-tree in the sky.

In Japan Choromatsu was famous from the late eighties era Sony Walkman adverts. Really famous. The ad for Sony walkman that showed Choromatsu listening to music in 1987 eventually won "best commercial" of the year in the following years award show. The voice over says something like "music progress marches on, but what about humanity?"

Choromatsu was 29 years old. This si like 100 years in monkey years, so he lived a good life. Perhaps it was his meditating to music that helped this.

Mr Choromatsu / Dreaming 1987

Via Tokyomango: https://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2007/01/sony_walkman_ic.html

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iraszl's picture

Although I can't understand the voice over at first glance it seems to me that this ad is completely missing the point. On the other hand the imagery is so weird and confusing that it makes me stop. It makes me try and find out what the relevance is to the product. It definitely gets stuck in my head. Or, maybe I'm just a sucker for animals.

Dabitch's picture

I know, a walkman ad where the quirky spokesanimal doesn't walk. Crazy japanese. ;)

TDD's picture

Trivia: Choromatsu is seen to close his eyes during the ad because, according to unnamed sources, he was tired during filming, and was recorded nodding off. Choromatsu, at 29 years old, would have been about 100 years old in human years. Choromatsu had been retired from the entertainment business since 1990.