Vermont Curry was introduced in 1963 as a “sweet” or mild version of curry, suitable for kids to eat. It really achieved its purpose and then some, as it really helped “curry rice” to become one of the most popular kids’ foods in Japan, rather like hot dogs and pizza are for American kids. The popularity of Vermont Curry was really solidified in the 1970s, when singer Hideki Saijo became the face of the brand - a role he was to continue in for 12 years. Here’s a typical Hideki TV commercial from the ’70s. It contains the image of runny honey being poured over a sliced apple with Hideki singing ringo to hachimitsu toro-ri toketeru (“Apple and honey smoooothly melted in”) which came to really symbolize the brand. The guy in the inset is an older Hideki looking at his 18 year old self. (Click here if you can’t see the embedded video.)