Mameshiba (franchise)

Mameshiba (豆しば) is a Japanese merchandise franchise created by copywriter and Korean Japanese national Kim Sukwon. The Mameshiba are different varieties of beans (and other legumes and nuts) that have dog-like faces and answer a trivia question. The name is a pun based on the Japanese word for "bean", mame (豆); the toy version of the Shiba Inu, called mameshiba (豆柴); and the Japanese word for "trivia", literally "beans of knowledge" (豆知識).

Mameshiba became popular through a series of animated interstitials produced by Dentsu that were sold to Japanese television networks to air instead of commercials. Their popularity in Japan and Asia eventually led to their release in the United States via Viz Media, Hot Topic, and some Mameshiba are sold at FYE. They were famous in France thanks to the now-defunct television network Nolife.

Characters

 * Green Pea (グリーンピーしば)
 * Black Bean (黒豆しば)
 * Peanut (ピーナッしば)
 * Natto (納豆しば)
 * Edamame (枝豆しば)
 * Red Bean (小豆しば)
 * Sweet Bean (甘納豆しば)
 * Coffee Bean (コーヒー豆しば)
 * Mocha (モカ), Colombia (コロンビア), Brazil (ブラジル), Kilimanjaro (キリマンジャロ), Blue Mountain (ブルーマウンテン)
 * Cashew Nut (カシューナッしば)
 * Jelly Bean (ジェリービーンしば)
 * Melon (メロン), Peach (ピーチ), Strawberry (ストロベリー), Soda (ソーダ), Orange (オレンジ), Pineapple (パイナップル), Grape (グレープ)
 * Chickpea (ひよこ豆しば)
 * Sword Bean (刀豆しば)
 * Boiled Bean (煮豆しば)
 * Chili Bean (チリビーンしば)
 * Tiger Bean (虎豆しば)
 * Soybean (大豆しば)
 * Pistachio (ピスタチオしば)
 * Lentil (レンズ豆しば)
 * Fava Bean (そら豆しば)
 * Cocoa Bean (カカオ豆しば)
 * Black Soybean (黒大豆しば)
 * White Soybean (白大豆しば)
 * Almond (アーモンドしば)
 * Mung Bean (ムング豆しば), referred to as "The Scream" in English after the painting to which its face refers.
 * Black-eyed Pea (ブラックアイドピーしば)
 * Cranberry Bean (クランベリーしば)
 * Lima Bean (リマしば)