10 Facts About Pen Pineapple Apple Pen That’s Still Funny in 2020

Last Updated on 2020-01-24 , 7:10 pm

If you’ve been wondering what’s with the “pen pineapple apple pen thing” going on around, it’s actually referring to a Japanese YouTube video that had garnered millions of views.

In any case, lest you live in a cave, here’s the video.

Yeah, it’s a video that went viral back in 2016 and people are still talking about it in 2020.

There’ve been lots of memes related to this on social media, 9Gag and more. While it’s funny as hell, some find it nonsensical and annoying and you can watch the video to decide for yourself. So what’s the deal about this video?

Here are the only 10 facts you need to know about this Pen Pineapple Apple Pen.

The OG Pen Pineapple Apple Pen Went Viral by Getting 4 Million Views in a Month

The original version, which is uploaded in August 2016 by the dude in the video himself, has gone viral with 4 million views in one month.

It has all the ingredients of a viral song – catchy and highly addictive rhythm, nonsense lyrics and easy dance moves. Anyone can sing it, or dance to it. It is stupid yet hilarious. But hey: we tried doing it ourselves and our video gets only 400 views in a year.

Pen Pineapple Apple Pen is Created by a Japanese guy Piko-taro

This video, or rather, song, is called PPAP – which stands for Pen Pineapple Apple Pen. Nothing to do with our Government. The creator’s name Piko-taro who claims to be a singer-songwriter.

But wait; Piko-taro himself isn’t even a real person. What gives?

Piko-taro is created by DJ Kosaka Daimaou

The character Piko-taro is created by DJ Kosaka Daimaou, whose real name is Kuzuhito Kosaka. It’s almost a create-ception! Also, Kosaka is a comedian who appeared in a film titled Nogami in 2012.

And lest you’re not aware, radio DJs often do stuff like this. Over in Singapore, the morning DJs from YES 933 also created a rather viral MV just to…well. Just for fun.

Check it out here:

Not bad, isn’t it?

The lyrics Doesn’t Mean Anything

Did you try to understand the lyrics? Here’s a tip: don’t bother. The lyrics has absolutely no meaning, since it’s not supposed to be commercial.

Come to think of it, at least YES 933 DJs’ song has lyrics that make sense, though they’re lame.

He’s Borsalino from One Piece in real life

So, what inspired this character?

One Piece fans would know: Piko-taro is actually Borsalino (Kizaru) from One Piece, a popular Japanese manga series. Look at that golden yellowish light beam costume!

pikotaro
Image: onepiece.fandom.com

Piko-taro was first introduced in stand-up performances

So, why was Piko-taro created in the first place?

Kosaka first introduced his character Piko-taro in stand-up performances, which is a comic style where the comedian performs in front of a live audience. His character was so well-loved and popular that he decided to bring it to the next level – PEN PINEAPPLE APPLE PEN.

In other words, yeah, it’s not a new character. It just an old character that has gone viral online.

There’re all sorts of Pen Pineapple Apple Pen remixes and parodies online

Well, this is expected to happen with our innovative younger generation. Think Harlem Shake, Gangnam Style and of course, our local “Unbelievable”. There’re so many, it’s hard for me to list them down – here’s one for your reference:

He may reply you

If you’re lucky enough, he may reply you on Twitter if you submit your version to him! He’s replied some of the curious English speaking fans who had submitted their own versions, so tweet him @pikotaro_ppap if you’re feeling adventurous.

Piko-taro has other videos

Piko-taro actually has several other videos and songs, but are mostly in Japanese. His most popular song is no doubt, the “I have a pen, I have an appo.”

And a few years after he’s gone viral, he’s still posting videos related to this popular topic. Just take a look at this posted in November 2019 that featured his daughter:

The Comments are Gold

If you did bother to see the comments at all, it’s funny and sarcastic as hell. While some people felt the song to be “inspiring” or referring it as “cancer song,” some people loved it so much they wanted this song to be “played at their funeral.” The Internet is indeed deadly.