The Idol of “The Goat and the Great Goat” Becomes a Picture Book… The Director of the Program Reveals “The Secret Story of the Birth of Popo, the Most Famous Goat in Japan

TV Tokyo’s “Goat and Daigo” is a strolling show in which comedian Chidori Daigo visits private homes with his goat to help with weeding.

The star of the show is Popo, a white-haired goat. His younger brother, a smaller goat named Sorghum, has become so popular that he is almost as cute as Popo.

The “Goat and Daigo,” which began as an irregular special in 2009, quickly became a hit after it aired and won the “Honorable Mention” award at the 59th Galaxy Awards. In April 2011, the program became a regular broadcast, and became so popular that the term “Oiri-Yagi” (people like Popo so much that they repeatedly watch the program on TVer or U-NEXT after it airs) was coined. The show has become so popular that it can be said to be TV Tokyo’s signature program.

The healing power of the show is unfathomable, as evidenced by the recent publication of Popo’s picture book “Popo no Ichinichi” (Kodansha Ltd. ). Behind this was a director who recognized the goat’s star power.

How was “The Goat and Daigo” born and why did it become a blockbuster hit? Daisuke Tomita, the director and creator of “The Goat and the Big Goat,” tells us all about the secret story.

Popo is a picture book!

The director Daisuke Tomita came up with the idea for this project when his son was put on goat duty at elementary school. He felt that the goats, which eat weeds and make a lot of noise among the children, were idolized by the children.

Her hunch proved to be correct. People became obsessed with goats after watching the show, and Popo, the star of the show, is now the most famous goat in Japan.

I never imagined that I would publish a picture book about ‘The Goat and Daigo. Popo’s existence had become well known, and I had noticed that he was gaining popularity as more and more people called him by name during filming. I wonder where this unfathomable idolism comes from.

I wish I could live as freely as Popo, without worrying about anything.

In the picture book “Popo’s Day” (Kodansha), a day in the life of Popo the goat is depicted. Popo peeks out from his roost, takes a morning stretch, and goes for a walk with sorghum. …… And in every scene, Popo continues to eat grass.

I have known Popo for about two years, and in the picture book, he had a look on his face that I had never seen before. I was surprised to see such expressions in the picture book. Especially the two-shot of Popo’s face with Daigo is great,” said Director Tomita.

In the picture book, when Daigo praises Popo, he has a big smile on his face as if he is about to burst.

Daigo said to me, ‘You are like Popo, you don’t care about anything. He said he wished he could live freely without worrying about anything, just like Popo.

Popo is a man of his own pace. When he is hungry, he eats; when he wants to rest, he rests; when he wants to go left, he never goes right; when he wants to sleep, he sleeps. In both the program and the picture book, he is shown exactly as he is.

The goats are the stars of the show, so everything is ‘goats first. The only guideline for the program is that Popo is the main character, so there are no fixed arrangements,” says Director Tomita.

(Director Tomita) That is why the staff spends the day on location wondering what Popo will do next. The trip was a spontaneous one, leaving everything to Popo.

I am confident that I will always find him.

In his search for the lead goat, Tomita says he met about 60 goats.

I had to make sure that the goats had no horns and were not rough, so that they would not be a danger to the children I visited,” he said. All the goats we met were cute. But on the day we went to see Popo for the first time, I felt a sense of ‘fate’ as we drove away,” said director Tomita.

I met Popo at night. I met Popo at night, and at first glance, I felt he was easy to hate.

Popo was very easy-going. His expression was gentle and soft, and he had a kind of goofy look about him. It was ‘fate.

Now, everyone, from children to adults, loves Popo, and I think he is loved by everyone.

Finally, we asked Director Tomita, “Can you find Popo among the 100 goats? He answered immediately and without hesitation, “I am confident that I can find him.

I am confident that I will find him.

Popo’s idol status is still unfathomable.

Daisuke Tomita
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1980. He is a senior executive officer and general director of Zion Co. After graduating from Ritsumeikan University in 2004, he joined Zion Co. He has worked on “Nai-Nai Size! 99 Plus” and “Guru Ninety-Nine” (Nippon Television Network Corporation). (TV Tokyo), for which he is the general director, won the 59th Galaxy Award for “Selected” and the 38th ATP Award for “Grand Prize” in the Information and Variety category of the Television Grand Prix.

Click here to purchase the photo-picture book “Popo no Ichinichi” (Kodansha)!