Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pens Craze

People really seem to be into singing about having an apple, and having a
pen.

The newest craze in Japan is #PPAP, or “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen”. The song was created by “Piko Taro”, who is a character made up by Japanese comedian Kosaka Daimaou. The song went live in August, and has now inspired hundreds of teens to make their own versions of the #PPAP dance.

The original version shows Piko-Taro dancing in a yellow, jungle print silk costume. He then simulates holding a pen, then an apple (apple pen!), and then a pen and a pineapple (pineapple-pen!), while singing about the whole thing. It's strange, but damn catchy.

Daimaou told BuzzFeed News he made the entire song himself on his computer, and that he came up with the jingle when he was eating fruit one day.

“It was totally unexpected," he said. "The way it spread rapidly around the world made me realize for the first time that I was singing in English. I was so happy that my height increased by three inches!"

Japanese teens are doing all sorts of abstract versions of the song, from highly sped-up recordings, to remixes, to acoustic sessions.

The song is called a “brainwash” song by some teens on Twitter, meaning its catchy tune and silly, repetitive lyrics will stick in your head all day.