Dumpling song unlikely hit in success-hungry Japan By Elaine Lies and Tatsuo Ito TOKYO, March 8 (Reuters) - Three small round rice dumplings on a wooden stick don't sound like the heroes of a hit song. But a Japanese children's tune about the traditional snacks, called ``dango,'' set to a simple tango beat, is in the middle of dancing its way across Japan, becoming the latest craze among children and adults alike. Some 2.5 million CDs of the song, which first appeared on a television programme in January, sold out within days of going on sale last week. It is expected to top the hit charts when the newest rankings are published on Tuesday. Sales of dango -- rice flour formed into balls, steamed and then toasted before being served with sweet beanpaste, sesame or soy-based sauces -- are booming, with customers tapping their feet to the tune as they wait to be served at shops. Even stocks have benefited. Shares of Nippon Hoso, majority owner of the music company that produced the CD, and Fuji Television, a Nippon Hoso affiliate, soared by their daily limit of 500 yen ($4) for several days in a row last week. ``We started hearing in February that the song was getting good reviews,'' said Ryoichi Takayanagi, a spokesman for Nippon Hoso Radio. ``But we really didn't expect things to go this far. The song, ``Three Dango Brothers,'' is about three dumplings on the same skewer that are, well, brothers. The responsible eldest is ``always thinking of his younger brothers,'' the spoiled youngest is ``always worrying about his older brothers,'' while the independent middle one ``thinks he's the best.'' They happily take part together in traditional seasonal events such as cherry- blossom parties and evenings of moon-viewing, but suddenly quarrel over who looks best. Almost immediately they make up, though, and beg to be reborn in their next life ``together on the same stick again.'' In the end, instead of being eaten, they grow hard together on a plate after being left overnight in a cupboard. The tune's popularity can be laid to the catchy tango beat, which sticks in one's mind much as the sweets stick to one's teeth, and the lyrics, easy for even small children to sing. Observers also point to social changes. ``Japanese women now, on average, have 1.4 children each, and there are many only children,'' said Norio Kamijo, a director at Dentsu Institute for Human Studies. ``This song, with its three children, makes parents nostalgic for the days of larger families in the past.'' Others say the boom is driven by the longing of children themselves to have more siblings, a desire strengthened by the different characters of the three dango and the love between them that remains unharmed even after they fight. For merchandisers battling Japan's worst economic recession in decades, the song could prove very sweet music indeed. Spillover effects are predicted for makers of dango ingredients, while toymakers are hoping for hot sales of licensed goods. Economist Akiyoshi Takumori at Sakura Securities said the song could be a harbinger of brighter days for the whole economy. Noting that recent history has shown that children's songs tend to become huge hits when the economy is about to emerge from recession, Takumori added: ``If the song cheers people up and boosts their propensity to consume by one percent, that would have the same effect as six trillion yen ($49.5 billion) of income tax cuts.'' ($1-121 yen) 05:27 03-08-99 Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.