The Glico sign, a landmark of Osaka's Dotonbori district, will take on a new look for the first time in 12 and a half years. The current sign will be switched off in December and covered during replacement work, leaving tourists visiting Osaka unable to see the familiar figure for several months. The new sign is scheduled to be unveiled next spring.
Japanese confectionery maker Ezaki Glico announced that it will replace the Dotonbori Glico Sign with a seventh-generation version in the spring of 2027, the Sankei Shimbun reported on the 15th. The sixth-generation sign was installed in October 2014, about 12 and a half years earlier.
The Glico sign is an outdoor billboard depicting a marathon runner crossing the finish line with both arms raised. Nicknamed "the cheering man," it was first installed in March 1935 and has served as one of Osaka's signature tourist attractions for about 90 years.
The lights on the current sign will go out at midnight on Dec. 1, when replacement work begins. During construction, the site will be covered with a screen bearing a separate design. The design of the seventh-generation sign has already been finalized, but Ezaki Glico has decided not to disclose details until the lights are switched on next spring.
The size of the sign and the figure of the running man with both arms raised will be retained. Instead, the company plans to apply the latest light-emitting diode technology to enhance visual expression and improve energy efficiency.
Changing With the Times: From Fountains to LEDs
The Glico sign has been remade in various forms over the decades. The second-generation sign, installed in 1955, became a symbol of Japan's postwar reconstruction. Puppet shows and concerts were held on a special stage set up near the sign. The third-generation sign, which appeared in 1963, drew attention for a fountain display that pumped out 12 tons of water.
Beginning with the fourth-generation sign installed in 1972, a running track was added to the background. The fifth-generation sign, unveiled in 1998, featured Osaka Castle and the Kaiyukan aquarium in the background and was designated a landscape feature by the Osaka city government. The sixth-generation sign, installed in 2014, was the first to use LEDs across the entire display.
The latest replacement is intended to preserve the sign's appearance while upgrading its technology, and also to strengthen the corporate brand. Ezaki Glico has decided to change the official name of the running figure, long known as the "goal-in mark," to the "Glico Runner."
The company believes the sign has gained wide recognition as a tourist attraction but that linking it to the company's business or messaging has been a challenge. The new name is meant to convey that there is no end to the company's reason for being. The idea is to use the sign not merely as an advertisement but as a means of communicating corporate identity and brand value.
Yoriko Miki, head of Ezaki Glico's corporate branding group, said the sign plays an important role in expanding the company's overseas business, adding that the company will overhaul its public relations approach. The company plans to use the new sign as an opportunity to broaden the brand's international recognition.
Sapporo's Nikka Sign Also Got a Makeover in April
Another famous Japanese billboard, the Nikka sign in Sapporo's Susukino district in Hokkaido, was also given a new look in April for the first time in 13 years. The fifth-generation sign has the same design as the fourth but uses a sleeker exterior in place of the heavier stained glass.
Measuring 13 meters wide and 7.5 meters tall, the Nikka sign was first installed on the Susukino Building in 1969 to promote Black Nikka, Nikka Whisky's flagship product. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the sign went up when the building was completed, prompted by a personal connection between the building's owner and Nikka Whisky. The original sign used 500 neon lights of various sizes, cycling through six colors every three seconds.
The Nikka sign has since been changed four times, earning nicknames such as "the Nikka man" and "the mustache man" and winning the affection of locals. Along with the Glico sign in Osaka's Dotonbori, it has become one of Japan's best-known photo spots.