Bag of rice with new baby's photo

Over at DaddyTypes, Greg discusses dakigokochi, Japanese baby announcements in the form of a shippable bag of rice with the newborn's photo and stats printed on it. The bag is filled to match the baby's birth weight.
Link

[#1 posted by deepy , January 15, 2008 8:14 PM]

What a great idea. We should do that in America with sacks of genetically modified corn.

[#2 posted by CaptainKabob , January 15, 2008 8:14 PM]

This makes me think of the (apparently apocryphal) story of baby-food marketing gone awry:

"A large multinational corporation once attempted to sell baby food in an African nation by using packaging designed for its home country market. The company's regular label showed a picture of a baby with a caption describing the kind of baby food contained in the jar. African consumers took one look at the product, however, and were horrified. They interpreted the labels to mean that the jars contained ground-up babies!" [Harvard Business Review, 1984]

from Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/business/market/babyfood.asp

[#3 posted by DGHilton , January 15, 2008 8:29 PM]

This isn't related in any way shape or form, except that it's a packaged food product from Japan. Oh, and it's funny.

http://www.hiltonjapan.com/2008/01/best-dogfood-name-bar-none.html

At least I think it is...

[#4 posted by isadrone , January 15, 2008 8:46 PM]

That's... pretty cool, actually. You receive a baby analogue, weighted correctly, with visual cue (face) and details to further concretize your virtual baby-holding experience. All without having to convince the parents that you think it's the bestest sprog ever. Plus, it doesn't cry or shit and, best of all, after hefting it about a bit, you get to eat it. Mmmm, (virtual) babyflesh!

[#5 posted by Lone , January 15, 2008 9:02 PM]

Saw this on NOTCOT or somewhere recently. All thats missing here are LOLCat or some other blurb. The baby on the left is just begging to share his wisdom.

[#6 posted by trikitixa , January 15, 2008 9:27 PM]

I just wonder if this is a vestige of the Inari cult or some other Shinto gesture accompanying birth.

[#7 posted by Peaceflag2007 , January 15, 2008 9:53 PM]

mmm...longpig

[#8 posted by Benny , January 15, 2008 10:54 PM]

oh man, I hope my future child to be weighs over 30 lbs...

[#9 posted by deweyeyed , January 16, 2008 12:57 AM]

There is something really wonderful about these. And so much better than the tradition of cigars, now replaced by chocolate cigars.

[#10 posted by Silverlotus , January 16, 2008 5:59 AM]

What an interesting idea. My baby was due yesterday (still holding on), and I think it would be really neat to send out bags of rice, or something, rather then paper announcements that no one will keep anyway.

[#11 posted by Lex10 , January 16, 2008 7:30 AM]

......especially cool if your last name is Rice!

[#12 posted by License Farm , January 16, 2008 7:50 AM]

Is Condi pregnant? W's got some 'splainin' to do...

It's an interesting gesture. "Here, eat my offspring's weight in rice so my wife doesn't look so fat postpartem!"

[#13 posted by cha0tic , January 16, 2008 8:18 PM]

@ #8
I bet the mother of your child doesn't benny :)