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I was surprised when I saw, watching PomPoko with my family, that the
characters had really, REALLY large _ahem_ ... well see for yourself:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aEf7z.jpg)

I mean, that can't be natural can it? I'm pretty sure last time I saw a racoon
it didn't have that part so huge.

Is it perhaps some other body part? You can see their tails in the below
picture as they use the flesh for parachutes, so I'm sure it's not that. It
**does** seem to be coming from their nether regions though.

What is up with these racoons?

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jmtmVm.jpg)


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2015-03-09T20:52:23.730
19936
2015-04-03T17:06:27.680
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question
pom-poko
Why do the racoons in pompoko have such large genitalia?


The racoons in this film aren't the usual ones the West would know of. They
are in fact _Tanuki_ and are better know as _Racoon Dogs_ in English.

![Nyctereutes_procyonoides](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bElm4m.jpg)

Still, you can see from the picture above that they aren't as heavily endowed
as the ones in the Ghibli film. This is because the film takes the concept
from Japanese folklore.

In Japanese folklore, the Tanuki are shape-shifters, much like the _kitsune_
fox. They're generally tricksters, but they have positive connotations in
Japan despite their fearsome nature in older times. The humongous scrotum only
came about in the Edo period in Ukiyo-e drawings - the precursor to several
other drawn art forms, and eventually, to manga.

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/R1KKSm.jpg) ![enter
image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZwbuBm.jpg)

Some drawings of tanuki flyfishing and pulling a ballsack-boat to shore.

I recommend reading [Tofugu's article on
tanuki](http://www.tofugu.com/2015/01/30/tanuki-the-magical-canine-with-
gigantic-magic-tanuki-balls/) if you want to learn more about these creatures.


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2015-03-10T00:59:52.237
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answer