Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2011

Photo by Yui Takeguchi

McDonald’s Japan has enlisted the help of TV personality Imalu for a promotional event with the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants, whose toys and gadgets are being included in Happy Meal sets. “I used to watch SpongeBob on TV all the time when I was in Canada, and I loved him,” said Imalu, who attended high school in British Columbia. Her parents are comedian Sanma Akashiya and actress Shinobu Otake.