Something about this frozen sweet gets lost in translation.
Akagi Nyugyo is a household name in Japan, famous for making Gari Gari-kun, one of the nation’s most beloved frozen treats. It’s not just the treats that have attracted fans, though, as the company is known for its playful side, releasing out-there flavours like Japanese rolled omelette and setting up a Gari Gari-kun shrine for visitors at its factory.
All in all, you could describe Akagi Nyugyo as a pretty ballin’ company, but even we’re not sure if it knew what it was doing when it came up with the idea to release a new ice cream called…
▼ … Ballin.
This is the type of ice cream that’ll stop a foreign visitor to Japan in their tracks, as the word “ballin’” is slang for someone living a flashy lifestyle or something that’s a blatant symbol of wealth.
Akagi Nyugyo, however, seems to be unaware of the fact that their new ice cream is ballin’, instead saying the name is a play on the words “ball”, “in”, and “borin” (from “bori-bori”, the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of eating something crunchy).
▼ The play on words is alluded to on the package: “‘ぼりん’と食感のボールがIN” (“‘Borin’-textured balls are IN”)
Adding another layer of wordplay to the product is the ice cream’s yoghurt flavour, which is said to be inspired by “yoghurt bowls”. Akagi Nyugyo says these bowls, which combine yoghurt with fruits, chocolate, cereal, and other toppings, have become a hot topic on social media, especially among young people, and the “Ballin Yoghurt Flavour” captures the refreshing taste, sweetness, and texture of a yoghurt bowl in an ice cream bar.
By combining the refreshing taste of yoghurt, the sweetness of chocolate, and the crunchy texture of the puffed chocolate centres, Ballin is said to be a new kind of ice cream that’s like a yoghurt bowl that you can eat with one hand.
It doesn’t hurt that the “Ballin” wordplay works pretty well in English too, so it’s perfectly positioned to flood our social media feeds when it’s released at stores around Japan at a retail price of 194 yen (US$1.24) from 7 September.
Source, images: Press release
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