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Difference between revisions of "Minimoni"

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[[Image:Minimoni_2nd.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Second Generation Minimoni. promoting the single [[Lucky Cha Cha Cha!]] (2004)]]
 
[[Image:Minimoni_2nd.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Second Generation Minimoni. promoting the single [[Lucky Cha Cha Cha!]] (2004)]]
  
−
'''ミニモニ。''' ('''mini-moni''', '''Mini Moni.''', or '''Minimoni.''') was a [[Hello! Project]] subgroup whose members were (mostly) under 150 cm tall.
+
Mini Moni (ミニモニ。) was a subgroup of Japanese pop girl group [[Morning Musume]] under the [[Hello! Project]] label. They were one of Morning Musume's most popular subgroups for their entire existence due to a combination of their outrageous music videos and live performances, their vocal harmonies, and their widely varied musical styles.
 +
== History ==
 +
=== 2000 ===
 +
The group was founded in late 2000 by Morning Musume member [[Yaguchi Mari]], who had an idea for a subgroup whose members were 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in height or shorter. Yaguchi, and Morning Musume's songwriter and producer [[Tsunku]], selected two of Morning Musume's newest members, [[Kago Ai]] and [[Tsuji Nozomi]], for the new subgroup and the trio began performing in concerts as Mini Moni. American-born [[Mika Todd]] of [[Coconuts Musume]] was later added into the group to give the group "an international flavour" and Tsunku made them official. Their debut single, "[[Minimoni Jankenpyon!]]", was a #1 hit.
  
−
==History==
+
While Mini Moni was initially directed towards younger listeners (in spite of the fact two of the members, Yaguchi and Todd, were in their late teens), they also had an older fan base consisting of older Morning Musume fans (especially of Yaguchi, Kago and Tsuji) and the parents of the younger Mini Moni fans.
−
'''Minimoni''' was the idea of and created by [[Yaguchi Mari]]. Initially the group consisted of [[Tsuji Nozomi]], [[Kago Ai]], and Yaguchi Mari who initially called the group "Young Morning" as seen on early episodes of [[Hello! Morning]]. However [[Mika Todd]] was added before the release of their first single, and their official name became Minimoni. The "rule" for Minimoni was that you had to be 150 cm or shorter, and once you reached 150 cm, you would wear blue or any different style of clothing (hence why Mika would always be in different clothing.) In March of 2003, Yaguchi left the group to front [[ZYX]] and the height rule was lifted a bit as [[Takahashi Ai]] was added to the group despite being 153 cm. Mika then became the leader of this new generation until her graduation.
+
=== 2001 ===
 +
The quartet released several singles in 2001 and 2002, and most of these tracks were compiled into their first album "[[Minimoni Song Daihyakka Ichimaki]]". The album's musical styles spanned wildly from track to track, defiantly incorporating such diverse styles as blues, electronica, march music, jazz, reggae, and horn-driven 60's soul music.
  
−
Minimoni's first regular TV appearances were in late 2000 on a [[Hello! Morning]] segment titled [[Mini Moni Are Tiny]]. For the time being, Minimoni is officially disbanded although their songs are still performed by various Hello! Project artists at concerts.
+
The group's almost anarchic presentation would also carry into some of the group's television appearances, many of which are circulated on-line, especially amongst the band's non-Japanese cult audience; these antics have included: Kago playfully saying "big doo-doo" (in English) in response to a Japanese TV interviewer's question (a bleeped version of the clip has been misidentified as "Kago says fuck you"); band members collectively grabbing the buttocks of a female assistant backstage at a concert (dubbed by some Western fans as the "Mini Moni Ass Grab", in parody of the song title "Mini Moni Bus Guide"); and an Utaban appearance where Kago slugged Yaguchi in the crotch while Yaguchi was in the middle of a sentence (which was actually a Morning Musume appearance for the song "[[Souda! We're Alive]]").
  
−
After 5 years Min Moni revives and get new members:leader [[Linlin]] from Morning Musume And [[Fukuda Kanon]] from [[S/mileage]] and [[Hello! Pro Egg]]
+
Simultaneously with their single releases, the band became the subject of a series of short cartoons of their own, Yarunoda Pyon!, in which they supplied their own voices. They also contributed their voices to the Hamtaro cartoon series, in which hamster versions of Mini Moni are featured. The group recorded two songs especially for Hamtaro under the group pseudonym 'MiniHams'.
 +
=== 2002 ===
 +
In 2002, Yaguchi graduated from Mini Moni to take on leading the subgroup [[ZYX]], one of the first Hello! Project groups to incorporate the [[Hello! Project Kids]] (including a couple of then-future members of [[Berryz Koubou]] and [[°C-ute]]). Another Morning Musume member, [[Takahashi Ai]] took Yaguchi's place, while Mika Todd, as the oldest member of the current lineup, took over as the group's leader.
 +
 
 +
That same year, all five members of Mini Moni filmed the movie Mini Moni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibōken! (Mini Moni The Movie: The Great Cake Adventure), part of the storyline of which, in the context of the movie's fantasy setting, "explains" how Yaguchi ended up leaving Mini Moni to begin leading ZYX and how Takahashi ended up in the band.
 +
=== 2003 ===
 +
They started to have a more mature, modern R&B-heavy sound to their music with the single "[[Crazy About You]]", a style the group explored more heavily on their second album "[[Minimoni Songs 2]]". However, their silly side was also well represented on the album with two more songs they contributed to Hamtaro as MiniHams. Former member Yaguchi also appears on three cuts, two of which previously appeared on the Okashina Daibouken soundtrack. They also starred in a mini-series called Mini Moni's The Brementown Musicians starring Takahashi, Tsuji, and Kago; Mika made brief appearances in two episodes.
 +
=== 2004 ===
 +
The group disbanded in May 2004 after the graduation of Mika Todd and the release of one final single, "[[Lucky Cha Cha Cha!]]".
 +
 
 +
An interesting side note is that Mika Todd usually wore drastically different costumes than her bandmates ((While the other girls wore skirts and bows, Todd was often seen wearing jumpsuits or typically more masculine outfits). This could be attributed to her being the tallest member of the group, just making the height requirements at the bands start. It is also possibly due to her being from Hawaii as opposed to the other members.
 +
== Members ==
 +
=== First Generation ===
 +
* [[Yaguchi Mari]] '''(L)'''
 +
* [[Mika Todd]]
 +
* [[Tsuji Nozomi]]
 +
* [[Kago Ai]]
 +
=== Second Generation ===
 +
* [[Takahashi Ai]]
 +
=== Third Generation ===
 +
* [[Linlin]] '''(L)'''
 +
* [[Fukuda Kanon]]
 +
* [[Takeuchi Akari]]
 +
* [[Miyamoto Karin]]
 +
 
 +
== Post-Mini Moni Careers ==
 +
* [[Yaguchi Mari]] (矢口真里) continued as sub-leader of [[Morning Musume]] after she left Mini Moni. In 2003 she also formed the short-lived unit [[ZYX]] with four members of the [[Hello! Project Kids]]. In April 2005, she resigned from Morning Musume due to scandal and embarked on a solo career under the Hello! Project banner.
 +
* [[Mika Todd]] (ミカ) is currently living and studying music in Los Angeles, occasionally travelling to perform with her father, jazz pianist Johnny Todd. She released a self-titled solo EP in 2005 that has been available only at her rare live performances.
 +
* [[Tsuji Nozomi]] (辻希美) and [[Kago Ai]] (加護亜依) graduated together from Morning Musume in August 2004 to form a new unit, [[W]], under the Hello! Project banner. Following Kago's suspension, Tsuji continued as a soloist in Hello! Project until May 10, 2007 when she announced that she was engaged to actor Sugiura Taiyou and already two months pregnant with his child. She is currently on personal leave from Hello! Project, but she may resume her career after having her baby. On November 26, 2007, Tsuji gave birth to a girl named Sugiura Noa(杉浦希空).
 +
* Kago Ai (加護亜依) was suspended in February 2006 and then terminated in March 2007 after a series of tabloid scandals, she came back on April 6 but no longer under the Hello! Project banner. She is currently shooting a movie in Hong Kong.
 +
* [[Takahashi Ai]] (高橋愛) continued as a member of Morning Musume and she is the current leader of the group and of the entire Hello! Project label. Her distinctive vocals have been more prominent on their last several singles and on their albums "[[Ai no Dai 6 Kan]]", "[[Rainbow 7]]" and "[[Sexy 8 Beat]]".
 +
 
 +
== Mini Moni in American media ==
 +
In February 2006 Mini Moni's name was invoked on American television (NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno) during a skit claiming that one of Leno's house band members had started out as a member of Mini Moni; a manipulated picture of the Leno band member with Mini Moni (in their outfits from the cover of "MiniMoni Songs 2") was aired as part of the sketch.
 +
 
 +
In June 2007, an excerpt from an early 2001 appearance by Mini Moni on Hello! Morning of a prairie dog turning his head suddenly, became the basis for the Internet phenomenon The Dramatic Chipmunk. A parody of the Dramatic Chipmunk clip, including lookalikes of Mini Moni, appears in Weezer's music video for their 2008 single "Pork and Beans". The real Mini Moni did not appear because of licensing issues, their lack of mainstream recognition in America and other logistical difficulties (including the fact that both Mika Todd and Kago Ai were no longer contracted by Up-Front Works by that time).
 +
 
 +
After 5 years of being on hiatus Minimoni now has a third generation with the leader [[Linlin]] from Morning Musume and [[Fukuda Kanon]] from S/mileage and Hello! Pro Egg
  
 
==Members==
 
==Members==

Revision as of 06:08, 20 July 2009

Second Generation Minimoni. promoting the single Lucky Cha Cha Cha! (2004)

Mini Moni (ミニモニ。) was a subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume under the Hello! Project label. They were one of Morning Musume's most popular subgroups for their entire existence due to a combination of their outrageous music videos and live performances, their vocal harmonies, and their widely varied musical styles.

History

2000

The group was founded in late 2000 by Morning Musume member Yaguchi Mari, who had an idea for a subgroup whose members were 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in height or shorter. Yaguchi, and Morning Musume's songwriter and producer Tsunku, selected two of Morning Musume's newest members, Kago Ai and Tsuji Nozomi, for the new subgroup and the trio began performing in concerts as Mini Moni. American-born Mika Todd of Coconuts Musume was later added into the group to give the group "an international flavour" and Tsunku made them official. Their debut single, "Minimoni Jankenpyon!", was a #1 hit.

While Mini Moni was initially directed towards younger listeners (in spite of the fact two of the members, Yaguchi and Todd, were in their late teens), they also had an older fan base consisting of older Morning Musume fans (especially of Yaguchi, Kago and Tsuji) and the parents of the younger Mini Moni fans.

2001

The quartet released several singles in 2001 and 2002, and most of these tracks were compiled into their first album "Minimoni Song Daihyakka Ichimaki". The album's musical styles spanned wildly from track to track, defiantly incorporating such diverse styles as blues, electronica, march music, jazz, reggae, and horn-driven 60's soul music.

The group's almost anarchic presentation would also carry into some of the group's television appearances, many of which are circulated on-line, especially amongst the band's non-Japanese cult audience; these antics have included: Kago playfully saying "big doo-doo" (in English) in response to a Japanese TV interviewer's question (a bleeped version of the clip has been misidentified as "Kago says fuck you"); band members collectively grabbing the buttocks of a female assistant backstage at a concert (dubbed by some Western fans as the "Mini Moni Ass Grab", in parody of the song title "Mini Moni Bus Guide"); and an Utaban appearance where Kago slugged Yaguchi in the crotch while Yaguchi was in the middle of a sentence (which was actually a Morning Musume appearance for the song "Souda! We're Alive").

Simultaneously with their single releases, the band became the subject of a series of short cartoons of their own, Yarunoda Pyon!, in which they supplied their own voices. They also contributed their voices to the Hamtaro cartoon series, in which hamster versions of Mini Moni are featured. The group recorded two songs especially for Hamtaro under the group pseudonym 'MiniHams'.

2002

In 2002, Yaguchi graduated from Mini Moni to take on leading the subgroup ZYX, one of the first Hello! Project groups to incorporate the Hello! Project Kids (including a couple of then-future members of Berryz Koubou and °C-ute). Another Morning Musume member, Takahashi Ai took Yaguchi's place, while Mika Todd, as the oldest member of the current lineup, took over as the group's leader.

That same year, all five members of Mini Moni filmed the movie Mini Moni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibōken! (Mini Moni The Movie: The Great Cake Adventure), part of the storyline of which, in the context of the movie's fantasy setting, "explains" how Yaguchi ended up leaving Mini Moni to begin leading ZYX and how Takahashi ended up in the band.

2003

They started to have a more mature, modern R&B-heavy sound to their music with the single "Crazy About You", a style the group explored more heavily on their second album "Minimoni Songs 2". However, their silly side was also well represented on the album with two more songs they contributed to Hamtaro as MiniHams. Former member Yaguchi also appears on three cuts, two of which previously appeared on the Okashina Daibouken soundtrack. They also starred in a mini-series called Mini Moni's The Brementown Musicians starring Takahashi, Tsuji, and Kago; Mika made brief appearances in two episodes.

2004

The group disbanded in May 2004 after the graduation of Mika Todd and the release of one final single, "Lucky Cha Cha Cha!".

An interesting side note is that Mika Todd usually wore drastically different costumes than her bandmates ((While the other girls wore skirts and bows, Todd was often seen wearing jumpsuits or typically more masculine outfits). This could be attributed to her being the tallest member of the group, just making the height requirements at the bands start. It is also possibly due to her being from Hawaii as opposed to the other members.

Members

First Generation

Second Generation

Third Generation

Post-Mini Moni Careers

  • Yaguchi Mari (矢口真里) continued as sub-leader of Morning Musume after she left Mini Moni. In 2003 she also formed the short-lived unit ZYX with four members of the Hello! Project Kids. In April 2005, she resigned from Morning Musume due to scandal and embarked on a solo career under the Hello! Project banner.
  • Mika Todd (ミカ) is currently living and studying music in Los Angeles, occasionally travelling to perform with her father, jazz pianist Johnny Todd. She released a self-titled solo EP in 2005 that has been available only at her rare live performances.
  • Tsuji Nozomi (辻希美) and Kago Ai (加護亜依) graduated together from Morning Musume in August 2004 to form a new unit, W, under the Hello! Project banner. Following Kago's suspension, Tsuji continued as a soloist in Hello! Project until May 10, 2007 when she announced that she was engaged to actor Sugiura Taiyou and already two months pregnant with his child. She is currently on personal leave from Hello! Project, but she may resume her career after having her baby. On November 26, 2007, Tsuji gave birth to a girl named Sugiura Noa(杉浦希空).
  • Kago Ai (加護亜依) was suspended in February 2006 and then terminated in March 2007 after a series of tabloid scandals, she came back on April 6 but no longer under the Hello! Project banner. She is currently shooting a movie in Hong Kong.
  • Takahashi Ai (高橋愛) continued as a member of Morning Musume and she is the current leader of the group and of the entire Hello! Project label. Her distinctive vocals have been more prominent on their last several singles and on their albums "Ai no Dai 6 Kan", "Rainbow 7" and "Sexy 8 Beat".

Mini Moni in American media

In February 2006 Mini Moni's name was invoked on American television (NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno) during a skit claiming that one of Leno's house band members had started out as a member of Mini Moni; a manipulated picture of the Leno band member with Mini Moni (in their outfits from the cover of "MiniMoni Songs 2") was aired as part of the sketch.

In June 2007, an excerpt from an early 2001 appearance by Mini Moni on Hello! Morning of a prairie dog turning his head suddenly, became the basis for the Internet phenomenon The Dramatic Chipmunk. A parody of the Dramatic Chipmunk clip, including lookalikes of Mini Moni, appears in Weezer's music video for their 2008 single "Pork and Beans". The real Mini Moni did not appear because of licensing issues, their lack of mainstream recognition in America and other logistical difficulties (including the fact that both Mika Todd and Kago Ai were no longer contracted by Up-Front Works by that time).

After 5 years of being on hiatus Minimoni now has a third generation with the leader Linlin from Morning Musume and Fukuda Kanon from S/mileage and Hello! Pro Egg

Members

First Generation Minimoni. promoting the single Minimoni. Jankenpyon! (2001)

First Generation

2000 – 2003

Second Generation

2003 – 2004

Third Generation / Shin Minimoni

2009 - present

Discography

Singles

# Title Release date First week sales Total sales
1

ミニモニ。ジャンケンぴょん！ (Minimoni. Jankenpyon!)
c/w 春夏秋冬だいすっき！ (Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu Daisukki!)

2001.01.17 265,270 763,380
2

ミニモニ。テレフォン！リンリンリン (Minimoni. Telephone! RIN RIN RIN)
c/w ミニモニ。バスガイド (Minimoni. Bus Guide)

2001.09.12 171,190 341,560
3*

ミニハムずの愛の唄 (Minihamuzu no Ai no Uta)
c/w ミニハムずんたかたった！ (Minihamuzun Takatatta!)

2001.12.05 70,450 325,440
4

ミニモニ。ひなまつり！ (Minimoni. Hinamatsuri!)
c/w ミニ。ストロベリ～パイ (Mini. Strawberry Pie)

2002.01.30 144,810 265,590
5

アイ～ン体操 (Ai~n Taisou)
c/w アイ～ン！ダンスの唄 (Ai~n! Dance no Uta)

2002.04.24 93,440 212,230
6

げんき印の大盛りソング (Genki Jirushi no Oomori Song)
c/w お菓子つくっておっかすぃ～ (Okashi Tsukutte Okassui~)

2002.11.27 30,609 53,681
7*

ミニハムズの結婚ソング (Minihamuzu no Kekkon Song)
c/w ミニハム汽車 (Minihamu Kisha)

2002.12.04 21,612 60,001
8

ロックンロール県庁所在地～おぼえちゃいなシリーズ！～ (Rock n' Roll Kenchoushozaichi ~Oboechaina Series!~)
c/w おしゃべりすきやねん (Oshaberi Suki ya nen)

2003.04.09 25,296 58,084
9

ミニモニ。数え歌 (Minimoni. Kazoe Uta)
c/w ミニモニ。ジャンケンぴょん！（2003ば～じょん） (Minimoni. Jankenpyon! 2003 version)

2003.05.14 18,581 29,088
10

CRAZY ABOUT YOU
c/w 恋愛1周年 (Renai Isshuunen)

2003.10.16 20,578 36,473
11*

ミラクルルングランプリン！ (Mirakururun Grand Purin!)
c/w ピ~ヒャラ小唄 (Pi~hyara Kouta) sung by Abe Natsumi as "Purin-chan"

2003.11.19 8,070 16,410
12

ラッキーチャチャチャ！ (Lucky Cha Cha Cha!)
c/w 笑顔のデート　最後のデート (Egao no Date, Saigo no Date)

2004.04.21 20,543 34,398

* for their 3rd, 7th, and 11th singles, Minimoni were credited as "Minihamuzu"

Albums

# Title Release date First Week Sales Total Sales
1

ミニモニ。ソング大百科１巻 (Minimoni Song Daihyakka 1 Kan)

2002.06.26 116,040 187,470
2

ミニモニ。ソングズ２ (Minimoni Songs 2)

2004.02.11 18,863 25,835

Soundtracks

  • [2003.02.19] ミニモニ。じゃムービーお菓子な大冒険！オリジナルサウンドトラック (Minimoni ja Movie Okashi na Daibouken! OST)
  • [2003.03.26] 劇場版とっとこハム太郎　ハムハムージャ！幻のプリンセス　オリジナルサウンドトラック (Hamtaro OST, tracks 7 and 25)

DVD

Filmography

Photobooks

Minimoni. Photo Book

  • [2001.05.28] ミニモニ。Photo Book (Minimoni. Photo Book) amazon.co.jp

External Links

Minimoni's cute mascot, the Minimo.
Minimoni's cute mascot, the Minimo.

v • d • e
Hello! Project: Minimoni
Minimoni: Yaguchi Mari · Tsuji Nozomi · Kago Ai · Mika · Takahashi Ai
Shin Minimoni: Linlin · Fukuda Kanon · Takeuchi Akari · Miyamoto Karin
Topics Minimoni.jpg
Singles
01 · 02 · 03 · 04 · 05 · 06 · 07 · 08 · 09 · 10 · 11 · 12
Albums
Compilations
Media
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