Choromatsu

The original vibe check.

In 1987, Sony cast a trained Japanese macaque named Choromatsu in a Walkman commercial filmed on the misty shores of Lake Ashi. No dialogue, no hype—just a calm monkey in headphones holding a WM-501, eyes half-closed, looking like he’d unlocked the secrets of the universe through whatever was playing. The ad won awards, became a Japanese cultural moment, and then, decades later, got reborn as the ultimate meme template: people endlessly swap the audio so Choromatsu is “listening” to everything from Playboi Carti and Baka Mitai to Guts theme and random shitposts.

He died in 2007 at 29 (ancient for a macaque), but the footage never stopped circulating. Now it’s pure internet folklore—the face of pure, unbothered audio immersion.

Not chasing, not explaining, just holding the Walkman while the chart does whatever it’s going to do. Headphones on. Eyes up. Progress of sound continues—what about the bag?

No utility beyond the lore, the image, and the community that keeps overlaying new tracks. If it hits, it hits. If it doesn’t, Choromatsu still looks cooler than most of us.

Vibes only. Stay seated. Don’t move too much or you’ll ruin the take.

Token Choromatsu

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