Major Japanese food conglomerate Morinaga had a dilemma to face.  Children have loved their fruity Hi-Chew candies for a long time but the high sugar content means eating too much can be bad for their teeth.

Just as tooth decay ravages ones pearly whites, so does poor hygiene affect Morinaga’s bottom line. You can’t eat chewy candy without teeth after all.

That’s why the confectioner has declared war on tooth decay.  To do this they have invented and are testing the “world’s first” toothbrush training video game to prefect the nation’s tykes’ dental habits.

http://youtu.be/N2vSPFTN9KQ

The game works like others in the rhythm genre such as guitar hero. The toothbrush controller has built in sensors which measure the movement and position of the brush.

Along the top of the screen little microbes float across which you must brush away at the right moment.  Successful brushing will cause an avatar in the middle to evolve.

The toothbrush controller connects to a PC wirelessly to play the game.  However, this controller is still in development and no official release date has been announced.

Just to make sure the little ones don’t get too carried away with proper dental hygiene the brush is stamped with the Hi-Chew logo to remind them of their sugary masters.

Fearing that this could lead to fewer trips to the dentist’s, the Japan Dental Association is mulling over plans for Fork Chewing Hero.

Source: Morinaga via IT Media (Japanese)
Video: YouTube – Morinagangel