In the 1980s, Kleenex released three Japanese commercials for their tissues, featuring a woman dressed in a white toga-like dress and a young child dressed as a Japanese ogre, sitting on straw. Each advert had the song "It's a Fine Day" by Jane & Barton playing in the background. Many viewers found the advertisement disturbing. Legend has it the commercial features a strange song in German that says “die die” over and over, the tone of which changes based on the time of day. The commercial was said to bring bad luck as well. Thoroughly creeped out television viewers complained, and Kleenex pulled the ads.
The trouble only began once the ad was pulled. The lead actress in the commercial supposedly suffered a mental breakdown and was institutionalized, while the baby died under mysterious circumstances. From producers to cameramen to gaffers, everyone even remotely related to the commercial died or suffered accidents or other misfortunes.
The trouble only began once the ad was pulled. The lead actress in the commercial supposedly suffered a mental breakdown and was institutionalized, while the baby died under mysterious circumstances. From producers to cameramen to gaffers, everyone even remotely related to the commercial died or suffered accidents or other misfortunes.
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| Japanese Kleenex Commenrcial Ad |
It was said that the ad wasn't just pulled due to complaints of it being creepy, but that it was banned because people who watched it either died of mysterious circumstances or felt the overwhelming urge to commit suicide. It was also widely believed that the cursed commercial had led to the deaths of the entire cast and crew, and that not one person who worked on the commercial was alive at the time it aired.
One cameraman was rumored to have been burned to death in a freak mechanical failure with his sauna. The little boy had a whole list of things allegedly happen to him. Some milder accounts place him as the victim of horrific nightmares lasting for days after filming. In other versions of the legend, he isn't so lucky, either dying of organ failure from the toxicity of the paint used on his body, or decapitation resulting from being hit by a car.
One cameraman was rumored to have been burned to death in a freak mechanical failure with his sauna. The little boy had a whole list of things allegedly happen to him. Some milder accounts place him as the victim of horrific nightmares lasting for days after filming. In other versions of the legend, he isn't so lucky, either dying of organ failure from the toxicity of the paint used on his body, or decapitation resulting from being hit by a car.
Sources:
http://www.japanpowered.com/folklore-and-urban-legends/the-curse-of-the-kleenex-commercial
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_urban_legend
http://listverse.com/2013/11/08/revised-10-japanese-urban-legends/
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