Unco Inc. and their poop-themed items
The Japanese tradition of fukubukuro (福袋), which translates to “lucky bags,” is a New Year’s custom where retailers offer sealed bags filled with mystery items at substantial discounts, typically 50% or more off the retail value. The term combines two Japanese words: fuku (福) meaning “good fortune” or “luck,” and fukuro (袋) meaning “bag” (which becomes bukuro due to a Japanese phonetic phenomenon called rendaku).
This practice is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, stemming from the belief that starting the year with new items brings good fortune—reflected in the saying “there is fortune in leftovers” (残り物には福がある, nokorimono ni wa fuku ga aru). Beginning January 1st, eager shoppers often line up for hours to secure these mystery bags, which can contain anything from clothing and beauty products to electronics and gourmet food.
While traditionally focused on physical goods, fukubukuro has evolved to include “experience” bags with event tickets or dining experiences, and some retailers even offer transparent bags where customers can preview the contents. Beyond being a cultural phenomenon, it serves as a clever marketing strategy for retailers to clear previous year’s inventory while driving New Year shopping excitement. The concept has become so successful that it has influenced retail practices beyond Japan’s borders.
This tradition might seem peculiar to outsiders, as you agree to pay for a bundle of unknown items. However, what makes these deals attractive is that everything inside typically belongs to some popular merchandise category. This is how companies like dark kawaii fashion brand Ank Rouge, Akihabara anime superstore Animate, and coffeehouse Starbucks convince fans to purchase their lucky bags. It’s not so much a question of whether you’ll be lucky or unlucky, but what specific sort of good luck will manifest itself inside the bag.
However, as reported here, the Unko Fukubukuro, or Poop Lucky Bag, promised to include their bags with items that are variations on the theme of poop.
Should one wonder about the origins of such a peculiar lucky bag, the answer lies with Unco Inc., a rather distinctive fashion and accessory company situated in Yokohama. With both an Unco Online Shop and a physical store, the company piqued curiosity about the contents of their 2,000-yen (US$12.97) Poop Lucky Bag.
Exploring the bag, you’ll find an Unco Inc. sticker. While the characters うんこ are Romanized as “unko,” the company’s official name is “Unco,” potentially a clever wordplay bridging the Japanese unko (meaning “poop”) and the English word “company.”
What followed was what Unco Inc. categorizes as a “jacquard mini handkerchief,” though you would simply describe it as “a hand towel adorned with a poop.” The psychological implication was that using such an item might paradoxically make one’s hands feel less clean.
Emerging next were three sticker sheets saying: “Golden poop!”, “Rainbow poop!”, and “A whole lot of poop!” These were succeeded by a trio of wristbands: one featuring poops, another displaying the characters for unko repeating in an endless cycle, and the third showcasing Unco Inc.’s mascot character Unko-tan. It is worth noting that Unko-tan is not Japan’s inaugural anthropomorphized poop character.
Perhaps the most unusual item in the Poop Lucky Bag was the “Go To Silent Card,” designed to enable silent communication about one’s current need to suppress bodily functions. Its potential utility might be discreetly requesting permission to jump ahead in a bathroom queue.
The most curious item was undoubtedly the Poop Mineral Water. The water in the bottle originates from the Aso region of Kumamoto Prefecture, constituting ordinary mineral water housed in a poop-shaped container.
The final item to emerge from the Poop Luck Bag was, however, a regular towel. No thematic scent. Upon full unfolding, however, regardless of washing frequency, thick, dark streaks of Unco/unko would permanently grace the otherwise pristine-looking towel.
Individually priced, these items would total slightly over 4,300 yen, rendering the Poop Lucky Bag an exceptional value with savings exceeding 50 percent. Moreover, should the “I need to poop” card prevent even a single potential embarrassment, it would unquestionably constitute money well spent.
