A new toy has pushed its way into the crowded Japanese market. Called the Crazy Delicious Stick Stick Party, it sells for 699yen (US$9). We got our hands on one of these babies to try it out a get a stick party started, but first the name probably needs some explanation.

If you walk into any convenience store across Japan and scour the lower shelves, under all the chocolate bars and gum you will find one of Japan’s most popular snacks, Umaibo (literally ‘delicious stick,’ which we will use throughout the remainder of this article for comedic effect). Delicious Stick is like a giant, rod-shaped version of that cheese-flavored snack of mysterious ingredients that goes by many names: cheese puffs, cheezies, cheese curls, cheese balls, and so on. However, in addition to cheese flavor, Delicious Stick comes in a wide range of flavors, including chocolate or shrimp and mayonnaise. At 10 yen (US$0.13) a pop they’re a pretty good little snack.

By using Crazy Delicious Stick Stick Party, you can – get this – cleanly cut one Delicious Stick into several smaller sticks. According to the name of this toy, making four smaller Delicious Sticks from a single large one will result in a “crazy stick party”. We rushed in to investigate this claim.

Upon putting a Delicious Stick into the toy and pushing it through with a plastic plunger, the craziness began with some bizarre crunching noises but then quickly died down. As I stared at the plate of sliced snack I wondered what the big deal was.

But that all changed when I took my first taste. Immediately I detected a difference. Rather than the light crunchy texture Delicious Sticks typically have, these new sticks took on a smooth, almost moist feeling to the tongue. It’s actually a very unique and interesting new sensation that any fan of this type of snack should try at least once.

If that doesn’t sound like a crazy enough Delicious Stick Stick Party, then get ready for this: there is also an attachment that cuts the Delicious Sticks into two pieces along a spiral cut line. What this does is let you take two different flavored Delicious Sticks and combine them into one mega-Delicious Stick. From here the sky’s the limit to how crazy you want to get. You could play it safe by mixing chicken curry and vegetable salad flavors, or go wild with a combination of chocolate and cheese flavors. Just think it through before combining: they can’t all be winners.

This Crazy Delicious Stick Stick Party is not all beer and skittles though. Using this device can cause a large accumulation of crumbs that, if unmanaged, can be a nuisance to clean up after your party.

Aside from that, it’s a handy little snacking gadget that’s worth the price. One word of warning: be careful after purchasing as you may find yourself burning more money on Delicious Sticks than you used to.

▼Video documentation of a Crazy Delicious Stick Stick Party getting started

▼This time, we used a 4-piece cutting type. You can also find 6-piece and 8-piece versions.

▼First attach the “slicer” to the case.

▼Then put a Delicious Stick into the case.

▼Then just push it through with the plunger, preferably over a plate or something to catch the crumbs.

▼Once cut, you can arrange many flavors together for a festive looking snack dish.

▼Or if you’re feeling more adventurous you can use the spiral cut to combine different flavors into one Delicious Stick. This photo is a combination of takoyaki and cheese flavors.

▼If you visit the official website of this toy you can find some recipe ideas and give them a try!

[ Read in Japanese ]