Mini-Moni
Mini-Moni (ミニモニ。, stylized as mini-moni.)[1][2] was a sub-unit of the Japanese idol girl groups Morning Musume and Coconuts Musume. It was formed by Up-Front Promotion in 2000 and associated with Hello! Project. The group was founded by Morning Musume members Mari Yaguchi, Nozomi Tsuji, and Ai Kago, with Coconuts Musume member Mika later added as a member. After Yaguchi's departure in 2002, Morning Musume member Ai Takahashi was added into the group.
Mini-Moni ミニモニ。 | |
|---|---|
Mini-Moni, promoting "Lucky Cha Cha Cha!", 2003. From L to R: Nozomi Tsuji, Mika, Ai Takahashi and Ai Kago | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Years active |
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| Labels | Zetima |
| Spinoffs | |
| Spinoff of | |
| Past members | |
| Website | www |
Throughout their career, Mini-Moni appeared in media aimed at children, having two animated series from 2001 to 2002, variety shows, as well as a 2002 film based on their stage personas titled Mini-Moni the Movie: Okashi na Daibōken!.[1] In addition to that, they also appeared in several Hamtaro movies, performing the theme songs under the name Mini-Hamus (ミニハムず).
The group later disbanded in 2004, after Todd left Hello! Project and Tsuji and Kago left Morning Musume to debut in W. In 2009, Mini-Moni was revived as a Hello! Project Shuffle Unit and concert-only unit under the name Shin Mini-Moni; the group had new members and remained active until 2011.
History
2000–2004: Formation
The group was founded in late 2000 by Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi, with the concept of having members 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) and shorter.[1][3] Together with Morning Musume's songwriter and producer, Tsunku, she selected two new members, Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji and the trio began performing in concerts as Mini-Moni. Mika Todd from Coconuts Musume was later added to the group.[4] They made their official CD debut with "Mini-Moni Jankenpyon! / Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu Daisukki!" in 2001,[3] which became a #1 hit.[citation needed]
The quartet released several singles in 2001 and 2002, with most of these tracks compiled on their first album Mini-Moni Song Daihyakka Ikkan. Simultaneous to their single releases, the band became the subject of a series of short cartoons, Mini-Moni Yaru no da Pyon!, voicing their own characters. They also contributed their voices to a string of movies based on the Hamtaro cartoon series, which featured a hamster version of Mini-Moni known as Mini-Hamus.
In 2002, Yaguchi graduated from Mini-Moni to take on the leadership of the subgroup ZYX. Ai Takahashi was added as a member, while Mika Todd, took over Yaguchi's place as the band's leader. That same year, all members of Mini-Moni starred in the film Mini-Moni the Movie: Okashi na Daibōken!, a fictional account explaining the change in members.
Afterwards, Mini-Moni released "Crazy About You" and later the album Mini-Moni Songs 2. They also starred in a mini-series called Mini-Moni de Bremen no Ongakutai starring Takahashi, Tsuji, and Kago; Mika Todd made brief appearances in two episodes. The group disbanded in May 2004 at Mika Todd's graduation concert, following the release of a final single, "Lucky Cha Cha Cha!"
2018: 20th anniversary reunion
On February 12, 2018, TV Tokyo aired a television special celebrating Mini-Moni's 20th anniversary. Yaguchi and Tsuji made an appearance and performed "Mini-Moni Jankenpyon!" with Morning Musume '18 members Ayumi Ishida and Reina Yokoyama.[5]
Members
- Mari Yaguchi (2000-2003)
- Nozomi Tsuji (2000-2004)
- Ai Kago (2000-2004)
- Mika Todd (2000-2004)
- Ai Takahashi (2003-2004)
Legacy
In June 2007, an excerpt from a November 2000 episode of Mini-Moni Chiccha (their segment on Hello! Morning) of a prairie dog suddenly turning his head became the basis for the Internet phenomenon the Dramatic Chipmunk.[6] A parody of the Dramatic Chipmunk clip, including lookalikes of Mini-Moni, appears in Weezer's music video for their 2008 single "Pork and Beans".[7]
Shin Mini-Moni
On May 26, 2009, Yaguchi posted on her blog discussing how the head producer of Hello! Project, Tsunku, had contacted her asking for permission to bring the group out of hiatus.[8] Tsunku confirmed on his own blog that Mini-Moni would be revived as a Hello! Project Shuffle Unit with an entirely new line-up, announcing then-Smileage member Kanon Fukuda as the first member.[9] He later announced then-Morning Musume member Linlin as the group's leader,[10] with then-Hello Pro Egg trainees Akari Takeuchi and Karin Miyamoto as the final two members. The group, rebranded as Shin Mini-Moni (新ミニモニ。, lit. New Mini-Moni), released songs for Hello! Project's compilation albums Champloo 1: Happy Marriage Song Cover Shū and Petit Best 10.[11][12] The group was also active as a concert-only unit until 2011.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | |||||
| Mini-Moni Song Daihyakka Ikkan (ミニモニ。ソング大百科1巻) | 2002 |
| 4 |
| RIAJ: Gold[13] |
| Mini-Moni Songs 2 (ミニモニ。ソングズ2) | 2004 |
| 11 | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | |||||
| "Mini-Moni Jankenpyon!" (ミニモニ。ジャンケンぴょん！) / "Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu Daisukki!" (春夏秋冬だいすっき!) | 2001 | 1 |
| Mini-Moni Song Daihyakka Ikkan | |
| "Mini-Moni Telephone! Rin Rin Rin" (ミニモニ。テレフォン！リンリンリン) / "Mini-Moni Bus Guide" (ミニモニ。バスガイド!) | 1 |
|
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| "Mini-Hams no Ai no Uta" (ミニハムずの愛の唄) (as Mini-Hamus) | 3 | — | — | ||
| "Mini-Moni Hinamatsuri!" (ミニモニ。ひなまつり！) / "Mini Strawberry Pie" (ミニ。ストロベリ〜パイ) | 2002 | 2 |
|
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| "Aīn Taisō" (アイ〜ン体操) / "Aīn! Dance no Uta" (アイ〜ン!ダンスの唄) (as Bakatono-sama with Mini-Moni Hime) | 3 |
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| "Genki Jirushi no Ōmori Song" (お菓子つくっておっかすぃ〜) / "Okashi Tsukutte Okkasi!" (お菓子つくっておっかすぃ〜) (as Mini-Moni + Ai Takahashi & 4Kids) | 9 | — | Mini-Moni Songs 2 | — | |
| "Mini-Hams no Kekkon Song" (ミニハムずの結婚ソング) (as Mini-Hamus) | 10 | — | — | ||
| "Rock 'n' Roll Kenchōshozaichi (Oboechaina Series)" (ロックンロール県庁所在地〜おぼえちゃいなシリーズ〜) | 2003 | 7 | — | — | |
| "Mini-Moni Kazoe Uta (Ofuro Version)" (ミニモニ。数え歌〜お風呂ば〜じょん〜) / "Mini-Moni Kazoe Uta (Date Version)" (ミニモニ。数え歌〜デートば〜じょん〜) | 9 | — | — | ||
| "Crazy About You" | 5 | — | — | ||
| "Lucky Cha Cha Cha!" (ラッキーチャチャチャ！) | 2004 | 6 | — | Non-album single | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
Soundtrack appearances
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | ||||
| "Mirakururun Grand Purin!" (ミラクルルン グランプリン!)[a] (as Mini-Hamus) | 2003 | 22 | — | Mini-Moni Songs 2 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Mini-Moni Yaru no da Pyon! | Themselves | TV Tokyo | Voice in anime; segments in Oha Star[2] |
| 2002-2004 | Hello! Morning | Themselves | TV Tokyo | Morning Musume's variety show |
| 2003 | Mini-Moni the TV | Themselves | TV Tokyo | Voice in anime[2] |
| 2002-2004 | Hello Kids | Themselves | TV Tokyo | Mini-Moni's variety show |
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Hamtaro: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land | Themselves | Voice in anime film; cameo |
| 2002 | Hamtaro: The Captive Princess | Themselves | Voice in anime film; cameo |
| Mini-Moni the Movie: Okashi na Daibōken! | Themselves | ||
| 2003 | Hamtaro: Miracle in Aurora Valley | Themselves | Voice in anime film; cameo |
Video games
- Mini-Moni: Dice de Pyon! (Konami, March 20, 2002, PlayStation)
- Mini-Moni ni Naru no da Pyon! (Bandai, September 26, 2002, PlayStation)
- Mini-Moni: Shaka tto Tambourine! Dapyon! (Sega, September 19, 2002, PlayStation)
- Mini-Moni: Step Up Pyon Pyon Pyon (Konami, December 12, 2002, PlayStation)
- Mini-Moni HapiMoni: Mika no Happy Morning chatty (Shogakukan, Game Boy Advance)
- Mini-Moni: Onegai Ohoshi-sama (Game Boy Advance)
Notes
- ^ "Mirakururun Grand Purin!" was released as a double A-side single with "Pīhyara Kouta" (performed by Natsumi Abe under her character's name, Purin). The sales and Oricon ranking reflects both songs.
References
- ^ a b c Campion, Chris (21 August 2005). "J-Pop's dream factory". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Loo, Egan (20 December 2011). "Former Morning Musume Ai Kago Reveals Marriage, Pregnancy". Anime News Network. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ a b "辻希美、ミニモニ。1日限りの復活を報告「息切れヤバかったなぁ」". Abema Times (in Japanese). 12 February 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ "加護亜依、4歳の娘が辻希美を選びショック 「フ、、フラれた」". Abema Times (in Japanese). 17 November 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ 加護亜依、辻希美＆矢口真里でのミニモニ。特別復活に言及. Model Press (in Japanese). 15 February 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ McCarthy, Caroline (22 June 2007). "Five-second 'Dramatic Chipmunk' video takes the Web by storm". CNET. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Spot the memes in Weezer's Pork and Beans". News.com.au. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Yaguchi, Mari (26 May 2009). "New Minimoni" (in Japanese). I'm a Beginner: Mari Yaguchi Official Blog.
- ^ Tsunku (27 May 2009). "Mini-Moni" (in Japanese). Tsunku Official Blog.
- ^ Tsunku (3 June 2009). "Minimoni" (in Japanese). Tsunku Official Blog.
- ^ "チャンプル1～ハッピーマリッジソングカバー集～". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- ^ "プッチベスト10". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "一般社団法人 日本レコード協会" (Enter "ミニモニ。" in the アーティスト parameter and then click 検索). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
External links
- (in Japanese)