What are those crazy little racoon things by stores in Japan?

Uh... so, you know when you got to Japan and you see one of those cute.. drunken.. racoon/badger statuettes?

Someone told me that they signify "good business." Then I heard they were closely related to bars and... being drunk.

So, does anyone want to give me the real answer and, anything else, like how they came to be?

The mystery has been haunting me!!

They are called "Tanuki" in Japanese which is similar to a racoon, but I guess it's actually a kind of dog.
Tanuki appears in many Japanese folk tales as a mystical animal that tricks human.

Tanuki - Japanese Trickster & Spook, Originally Evil, Now Icon of Generosity & Prosperity.

Interesting, must be a racoon ancestor, very similar, just a different fur scheme.

I'm use to seeing Shisas. Keeping the good in and the bad out.

Ah.. I see. With pictures and everything, many thanks!

But what do they symbolize?

tanuki have huge balls. first thing i noticed when i saw my first one. there is a giant one across the road from me. have any of you seen a red maneki neko? it warns of sickness but its so hard to find.

There was an interesting thread about racoons in Japan here:

Leaf-throwing raccoons that can turn into statues at will?

One of my favourite Japanese restaurants in New Zealand is called Tanuki, and then in the basement they have Tanuki Cave. It tells the story there too
So if ever you are in Auckland city, head halfway down Queen Street and you will find it on your left (if going down the hill). The Cave is a great place to chill out with friends drinking sake and eating yakitori

Tanuki

are you talking about TANUKI?

likely... did all the posts talking about them tip you off?

the boy buying liquor

misa.j reported :
Tanuki appears in many Japanese folk tales as a mystical animal that tricks human.

In the Edo period, "the boy buying liquor"ﾅｽﾃｰ窶敞停?堋｢ﾂ渉ｬ窶藁 was a very popular monster. He came to the liquor shop with a book of credit purchase窶凖岩?堋｢窶卍? and a liquor bottle in hand.
His true character was said to be a tanuki(a raccoon dog).
As the years rolled by, tanuki became an idol of a liquor shop.

In Osaka, the following song was sung :
"At the night when a gentle rain is falling, a little tanuki comes to buy liquor with an empty bottle in hand."


"Bakemono nenju gyojoki"窶ｰﾂｻ窶｢ﾂｨ窶扼窶吮??ﾂ行ﾂ湘ｳ窶ｹL the picture book published in 1796.
"the boy buying liquor"ﾅｽﾃｰ窶敞停?堋｢ﾂ渉ｬ窶藁. He has the tail.

Today, the pocket monster, "Pokemon" is popular with the kids all over the world. In the Edo period the monsters greatly appealed to people. People enjoyed the goods(games, traditional cards, fireworks, picture books) featuring the monsters.


early 18 c
the monster board game


the book published in 1794
the monster fireworks : The disk, on which the monster was drawn, turns round.