“Spoon’s Drawing Song”: How a Japanese Kids Show Accident Became a Beloved Meme

🔹 TL;DR

What happens when a drawing on a children’s show is so horrifying, so hilariously off-model, that it breaks the internet?
In 2006, Japanese TV viewers got their answer—when a beloved character named “Spoon” (Spū) was redrawn live on air in a way that shocked a nation and inspired a generation of meme-makers.

This is the story of how a drawing song became one of Japan’s most iconic internet legends.

1. What Is “Spoon’s Drawing Song”?

“Spoon’s Drawing Song” (スプーのえかきうた) is a segment from NHK’s long-running educational show “Okaasan to Issho” (“With Mother”), aimed at preschool children.

In each episode, a character named “Spū” would be drawn step-by-step as the hosts sang along. The point was to help children learn to draw while having fun.

But on April 28, 2006, something went very, very wrong.

2. The Live Broadcast That Launched a Thousand Screams

On that fateful day, Shoko Haida, the show’s singer known for her sweet demeanor and classical training, picked up a marker and began drawing Spū live on air.

What she drew has been described as:

• A Lovecraftian nightmare
• A summonable demon
• A cross between Pikachu and existential horror

The eyes were empty and misaligned.
The mouth had shark-like fangs.
The ears looked more like tentacles than anything mammalian.

Next to her, co-host Yūzō Imai could barely contain his laughter. His face twitched, his body shook, and he muttered:

“Oh… wow… that’s… quite something…”

3. From TV to Meme: The Internet Eruption

Shortly after the episode aired, clips of the drawing began appearing online.

Remember, this was 2006—the early days of YouTube and Nico Nico Douga. Yet the reaction was explosive:

• Users uploaded and reuploaded the clip, despite NHK’s takedown efforts.
• Flash animations and remix videos spread like wildfire.
• Fan art, cosplay, and merchandise based on “Cursed Spū” emerged.
• Someone even listed a handmade figure of the cursed Spū on Yahoo Auctions—it reached a joke price of 700 million yen (~$6.5 million) due to prank bidding.

4. Media Reaction: From NHK to National Headline

Even mainstream media couldn’t ignore the chaos.

• Excite News covered the event as an early example of how internet memes were changing the cultural landscape of Japan.
• The term “画伯 (Gahaku)”—a sarcastic way to call someone a “master painter”—was cemented as Haida’s nickname.
• Futabanet listed the event among the most iconic “broadcast accidents” in Japanese TV history, noting that it was “unintentional horror disguised as education.”

5. Resurfacing the Legend: The 2017 Revival

In 2017, Haida was invited on NHK’s morning show “Asaichi,” where she was asked to draw Spū once again—live.

The result?

Not as terrifying as the original… but still filled with chaotic energy.
Fans called it “the return of the summon beast” and posted side-by-side comparisons of the two eras.

It wasn’t just nostalgia—it was reverence.

“You never forget your first cursed Spū.”

6. Personal Stories & Online Reactions

🧑‍🎨 From the Wiki:

An updated fan Wiki describes the original event as:

“A moment when childhood ended, and we all realized art is subjective… and terrifying.”

🧑‍💻 From Reddit & Blogs:

• “My little sister cried. I couldn’t stop laughing.”
• “She broke television. With a marker.”
• “Honestly? That’s what a real monster looks like—and I love it.”

Many fans share a strangely emotional bond with the incident, combining trauma, laughter, and nostalgia.

7. Why Did It Go So Viral?

The virality of the “Cursed Spoon” moment can’t be explained by visuals alone.
It tapped into something deeper, something universal.

🎯 A. Uncanny Valley Meets Childhood Comfort

Kids’ shows are meant to be safe, predictable, and soft-edged.
When something bizarre slips through—especially live—it shatters expectations.

“It wasn’t just bad. It was wrong in a way only children’s TV can make hilarious.”

🎯 B. The Power of Live TV

This was not pre-recorded.
The horror was real-time. The laughter, unedited. The shock, authentic.
It felt like shared embarrassment + art attack, and the audience knew it.

🎯 C. Relatable Creativity

Everyone has drawn something terrible.
Watching a TV personality do it on national television, and own it with a smile, felt human.

“It was like watching your own doodles on a global stage. But worse.”

8. The Meme’s Evolution and Second Life

Nearly two decades later, “Cursed Spū” still appears in:

• Meme compilations on TikTok and YouTube
• Art challenge threads (“Draw this in your style”)
• Discussions on “broadcast fails”
• Nostalgia deep-dives about 2000s internet culture in Japan

New generations—who weren’t even born when the event happened—still react viscerally to the clip.

NHK has never re-aired the episode.
But the internet never stopped watching.

9. Cultural Commentary: Why We Needed This Meme

🧠 A. Subverting the Wholesome

The incident taught viewers that even the safest shows have cracks of chaos.
And that’s not a bad thing.

🧠 B. Laughing Without Cruelty

While many memes target people for failure, this one is unique because Haida was never mocked—only adored.

Her fearless attempt, her honesty, her joyful cringe—all of it became part of the meme’s warmth.

“She wasn’t ridiculed. She was crowned—画伯, the Painter Queen.”

🧠 C. A Lesson in Memetic Longevity

Unlike one-liner memes or internet drama, “Spoon’s Drawing Song” stuck because:

• It was visual and visceral
• It had a broadcast origin, yet felt personal
• It bridged age groups, platforms, and emotions

It wasn’t just content.
It was a shared cultural memory.

10. Final Thoughts: When Chaos Meets Crayon

In the end, “Spoon’s Drawing Song” wasn’t a disaster.
It was a moment of unfiltered authenticity, a reminder that even in carefully scripted children’s TV, the human hand—and its shaky lines—can deliver something iconic.

We laughed.
We cringed.
We remembered.

And 20 years later, we still talk about the day a drawing went wrong… in the best way possible.

✅ Summary Points

• “Spoon’s Drawing Song” was a 2006 live TV segment where a terrifying drawing of a children’s character shocked viewers.
• The internet turned the moment into a beloved meme through remixes, fan art, and viral clips.
• Its popularity came from the contrast between wholesome content and accidental horror.
• The meme evolved over time, becoming a symbol of nostalgic chaos and artistic humanity.
• Today, it serves as a cultural reference point for Japanese internet users—and a case study in wholesome meme power.

🔗 References

• Aniwota Wiki – Spū Drawing Incident
• Excite News – NHK Meme Madness
• Futabanet – Broadcast Fails History
• ITmedia – 2017 “Spoon” Redraw
• Cocage Research – Viewer Memories