Battery-powered “Dondake” signals its imminent demise

Written by: Michael Keferl on August 28, 2007 at 12:04 am | In Marketing & Ad Trends |

Here’s the deal: There’s a Japanese “celebrity” named Ikko who regularly appears on the Lincoln (リンカーン) variety show. Ikko is an okama, a word that refers to an effeminate gay man or drag queen, and her catch phrase this year has been “dondake?!”. The general meaning is “WTF?!”, and has become quite popular among the Shinjuku 2-Chome gay scene. There’s even an L-shaped hand gesture with the thumb and pointer finger. Think “Oh no you didn’t” with some accompanying finger snaps and you get the idea.

Dondake originated in Shibuya among the gyaru girls a couple of years ago. It’s a play on the superlative doredake, which basically means the same thing. This year, dondake is all over the place thanks to Ikko, who also uses a buzzer on the show that blasts a loud “Dondake?!” so she doesn’t have to.

Now you can get your very own light-up buzzer which, in Japan, means that this catch phrase has just about run its course. That’s what happens to most catch phrases or one-hit-wonder TV celebs on the variety show circuit. They take a phrase, repeat the hell out of it, everyone laughs and copies them at home, cheesy products bearing the phrase are pumped into the market, and then it disappears. If you don’t believe me, ask Hard Gay, a guy who had the brilliance to create an original character, market it well, and then cash out at the perfect time while marrying a beautiful woman.

Check out the video below for Ikko, her buzzer, and an oily guy being licked by a dog.

Video via the always entertaining TVinJapan

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