Peko-chan is the most famous girl in Japan.

Sweet-as-can-be with her chubby pink cheeks and big sparkly eyes, this 6-year-old is easily the most recognizable mascot of them all. But Peko-chan is not a good girl, and she is no normal child. Because it is not sugar and sweet treats that Peko-chan craves… it is blood.

Born in 1950 as the mascot of Fujiya’s Milky brand soft milk candies, Peko-chan is the embodiment of retro childhood nostalgia and has become bigger than Milky itself. Adorning everything from candy, chocolate, and ice-cream packaging at your nearest konbini to metro ads on your morning commute, she can literally be found everywhere. Even as a doll, on cups, t-shirts, bags - you name it.

But don’t be so quick to buy into Peko’s disarming cuteness. A Japanese urban legend says that Peko-chan is actually an immortal, flesh-eating demon child.

The story goes like this. The Milky brand was born out of a post-war food crisis and a need for readily available food during times of economic hardship. Peko-chan is said to be based on the real story of a 6-year-old girl, whose own mother cut off a part of her arm to feed her starving child during a famine. Unsatiated and starved, Peko-chan developed a bloodlust for the flesh of her own mother and devoured her entirely, becoming a demented cannibalistic girl-child. Hence Milky’s slogan: ‘Milky Tastes Like Mama’.

Somewhat disturbingly, Peko-Chan’s name references the Japanese onomatopoeia “peko peko” - the creaky sound a starving body makes. Rearranging the syllables of ‘Milky’ also produces the phrase ‘Kill me’ - the last thing her mother said before she was eaten. It is also said that the red spots on Peko-chan’s cheeks are actually blood, which she is perpetually licking off.

So next time you’re treating yourself to a little Milky snack from the konbini and see Peko-chan’s evil grin on your discarded wrapper, think of this morbid origin story - and savour the sweet sweet taste of Mama.

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