I would love to see you do a break down on how the different symbols on slot machines came to be. I've always been curious about the odd mix of fruits, 7's, horseshoes, etc.
When money prizes were forbidden in slot machines, they offered bubble gum when their player got a won. The fruits indicated then what flavour of bubble gum you were getting.
Yup the guy above is right. They used to give out fruit gum and you’d get the flavor of your match. The BAR logo is a generic version of logo of the company that first made the machines.
In Hungary the green trabant (which is an old east german car) is considered as a symbol of luck. I think it’s because in the old socialist times, in order to get a car you needed to sign up for a list and wait (sometimes years) for a car. So you were not in a position to choose a color, most of these cars were blue or grey. A green trabant was considered really rare, so if you saw one it was a sign of luck. 😃 Some people even had a green trabant keychain.
haha yes, we even have a silly litte rhyme(?) for it: “Zöld Trabantot látok, szerencsét találok” which means “I see a green Trabant, i find luck”. You have to say when you see one and then pinch someone. But there are several versions one of the more common is you say the rhyme and then you ask for a day from the other(like monday or something) and then that will be your lucky day on the week.
in most of Latin America we have a similar thing, the VW beetle is considered lucky, we call it "pichirilo." I think its strange how its a symbol of luck but also there's a tradition of punching someone in the arm when you spot one out in the wild
This is a very interesting piece of trivia I had not known about. Me being 2nd Gen Hungarian, my parents never mentioned any such symbol of luck but I do remember quite a lot of green trabant toys here and there. So this is quite believable.
So the common consensus here in Ireland is that it’s both dumb luck and bad luck but most of us tend to lean towards the bad luck theory and if you look into the history of our nation there tends to be a lot of bad luck involved hence why we may lean more towards this idea.
There's another element to the horseshoe: wrought iron was historically thought to ward off evil spirits, hence wrought-iron fences around graveyards and D&D's "cold iron"
@@lessoriginal And I suppose that Lucky the Leprechaun can only tolerate the horse shoe in his cereal is because it's made of marshmallow, instead of iron.
I’d never heard blue moon referring to the second full moon of the year. I grew up understanding that a blue moon refers to when you have two full moons in the same month. That’s what made it rare and therefore lucky.
I also thought that. Also because not older than JJ I recall a time when Lucky charms touted yellow moons gold stars and now new blue diamonds. Early 80s probably if not late 70s
I live in the state of Arkansas, and here at least, blacksmiths, ranchers, and others will nail horse shoes to their door posts. During some period of time (when it rains, if I remember correctly?) They will point the open ends up, supposedly collecting luck like in a bucket. When the rain stops, or whenever they feel like they need the extra luck, they will point the open end down, symbolically pouring luck into the places they work/live. Just what I've seen around here!
9:48 I love that J.J. uses the hilarious sketch created for the Crichton Leprauchaun. Basically a bunch of people in Alabama claimed they saw a leprechaun in their neighborhood. The craze spread and wacky hijinks ensued including a couple people claiming to be “professional” leprechaun hunters. The whole situation was absolutely wild.
Sugar used to be advertised as good for kids because it gave them energy. The only sources I have are what boomers told me, but I've been told about it by several people at different times throughout my life.
It wasn’t just kids, this was a very mainstream way to advertise candy. I’ve seen ads where are they are pushing it on housewives to give them more energy to finish their chores
@@JJMcCullough I saw somewhere that sugar was also advertised back in the day as a weight loss tool as it was said that if you had a full tsp of sugar before each meal it would give you the energy and strength to exercise will power in not overeating! I think it was an ad from the sugar companies though, but still. Absurd by today's standards but fascinating!!
@@GarrettMerkin it would be funny to imagine Kelloggs trying to still market their product for that reason today and have an ad campaign based around Ned flanders where he claims corn flakes are good for keepin down the urges 🤣
Crossed fingers always strikes me as a weird symbol representing luck (or wishing for luck?). In the UK, the logo for the national lottery is a stylised hand with crossed fingers, with the ring and pinkie fingers used as its eyes. It would be interesting to see what different hand symbols represent both in the US and other cultures. It always fascinates me how we have come to the conclusion that holding our fingers in certain ways can be representative of something (thumbs up etc), or even offensive (middle finger) and where these gestures originate.
interesting that crossed fingers in america can also mean "luck" but MOSTLY they mean "i am lying!" People hold crossed fingers hidden behind their back or in their pockets when they want to offset the guilt of, internally confirm, justify, or secretly show others that they are lying to somebody. Its kind of like a superstitious or playful loophole, and is like protection against consequence, or against getting the lie exposed. The crossed fingers are like lucky protection of the secret lie, pretty much. And i said "loophole" because if you cross your fingers, the lie supposedly ""doesn't count"" against you ethically lol, since you've warded off the evil of lying (and getting caught) Despite the fact this hand signal most usually means "I'm tricking them" we STILL have a spoken expression that goes "fingers crossed!!" when we want to say "i hope so" or "good luck". The expression and the actual hand signal basically have different or even opposite meanings, then. And i guess its more like the Hidden crossed fingers = lie or trick. Whereas if you hold up both your hands in crossed fingers, smile, show them to somebody, THEN it means "good luck", similar to a double thumbs up. But both of these are kind of outdated and uncommon. Imo, "fingers crossed" the expression meaning "good luck" is most common, and also the hidden hand signal meaning "I'm lying" is pretty common too. Verbal expression VS physical hand signal ... they each have their place and dont overlap a ton nowadays, although I'm sure their origin was the same
@@sicahjehiah8729 This is entirely a guess, but maybe those two meanings are related. I have always thought of "fingers crossed" as a way not to get jinxed, the idea that if you say something good is going to happen, it won't. Maybe it originally meant "What I am saying doesn't count.", whether that is because it is lie or because you don't what the universe to spite you. Maybe I am overthinking it and it is just a more general "don't give me bad luck" gesture.
I'm pretty sure it exists in the US although I haven't seen the crossed fingers symbol in a long time I'm pretty sure I last saw it in a cartoon or comic from childhood. I'm from Canada and 90% chance the show was American
For Germany, apart from the four-leaf clover and horseshoe, there are also ladybugs, mushrooms (particularly, stylised fly agarics), pigs, chimney sweeps, as well as coins (traditionally the 1 penny/0.01 German marks coin). Two of them even made it into idioms: "Schwein haben" (literally to have [a] pig) means to be lucky and someone particularly lucky might be called a "Glückspilz" (good luck mushroom).
The "Schwein haben" idiom actually has a pretty interesting backstory. In the middle ages, the looser of a tournament (commonly in jousting and horse tournaments) would be sometimes given a pig as a sort of consolation price. But because he did not die during the tournnament (as it not rarely happend) and "just" lost, he was still lucky and "hatte Schwein" (had pig)
The Ottoman usage of the star and crescent came from Constantinople using it as a city symbol. They long aspired to conquer the city before finally doing so I'm 1453, and so used the symbol beforehand. Interestingly, it was a common symbol throughout Anatolia and Mesopotamia for millenia before that. My episode about stars on flags covers this in more detail
This is the type of content we need more of. Combination of the great food, cereal, and deep dives into cultural meaning. Bravo. I edited a typo and accidentally got rid of my heart. So sad
I wonder if JJ has ever thought about covering more of the 'artificial flavors'. You know, blue raspberry, bubble gum, Dr. Pepper, flavors that don't have a 'natural' equivalent yet are very well established.
Blue raspberries are real, but it's more often that it fills the blue coloration niche more distinctly. If artificial raspberry were red it'd overlap with other common flavors like strawberry, cherry, watermelon, and cinnamon. Incidentally, this comes after recently finishing off a pouch of "Haribo Sour S'ghetti," which actually had blueberry as its blue flavor. Surprised me, for sure.
@@normanclatcher I've had blueberry flavored stuff before, and it definitely threw me off when it wasn't sour. The weirdest one is Dumdums. I have to triple check the wrapper to make sure it's blue raspberry and not fricking cotton candy.
Coming from a Japanese background, the first and foremost example of a lucky charm that comes to mind would be the Manji (swastika), along with manekineko and Kumade. I would be heavily interested in lucky charms of any other cultural backgrounds.
@@sheevinopalpatino4782 That was actually the reason that they chose it. It was widely considered a positive symbol prior to the Nazis. It would be kind of like if a modern fascist movement made a smiley face or peace sign their symbol.
JJ I absolutely love how animated you are. I've seen you in your interviews aswell. I am brought to ease watching your content as you always bring a genuine nature shut out by many. As a fellow Canadian you make me proud, and your openness gives me pride. Have a gooder anyone reading this :)
I was always told a Blue Moon was when a Full Moon appeared twice in 1 Calendar Month. So if their was a Full moon on the 2nd of May, and on the 30th of May, the one on the 30th would be called the Blue Moon. Although, given that there are 12-13 Lunar months in a Year, "once in a blue moon" roughly means "slightly more than biannually"
@@JJMcCullough But JJ, I feel this tradition re-inforces the saying, which is worth noting, especially as this application of the phrase/symbol would have been in use at the time of the cereal's generation. I don't see how it's more helpful or more "true" even to cite the arbitrary use of the phrase in the 1800s, when this is not the understanding that informed the "set" of lucky charms serials. History is not generated at one single point in time.
A couple months ago I commented on a video about how your videos carried me through my Saturday shifts at work and now you’re carrying me through my move from California to North Carolina. I’ve been dreading being here and realize it was a mistake to come here but you are one of the things I have to look forward to.
On the balloon matter. Nena only specified the colour of the balloons in the English version of the song. I would assume to still have a similar flow of words to the original German version where she sings about "Luftballons" or just Balloons.(literally :air balloons)
They needed to add a syllable to the English version because 99 in German has 1 more than 99 in English. Red is one syllable so it let them keep the beat.
@@thetrainhopper8992 it is something to note that red isn't the only color with one syllable. It could have just as easily been blue, orange, green, or even brown.
I think largely because of the era in which I grew up (born in early 2000s, grew up in late 2000s/2010s), I actually never heard the version of the song with the Pot of Gold marshmallow, nor have I eaten a box of Lucky Charms with that marshmallow. I discovered that it was because the Pot of Gold was replaced with a Golden Hourglass in 2008. This is the marshmallow I'm familiar with (although it was also retired in 2018 and replaced by a unicorn). So I remember the song slightly differently as: "Hearts, stars, and horseshoes! Clovers and blue moons! *Hourglasses*, rainbows, and tasty red balloons!" Apparently, because the hourglass has historically been a symbol representing time, the hourglass symbolized the leprechaun's ability to start, stop, and reverse time in order to enjoy and savour the time people had eating the cereal.
Thought I was going crazy for a bit since I couldn't find anyone else mentioning the pot of gold/hourglass discrepancy ... glad I'm not the only one here who grew up with the hourglass version loll. Although, I'm kinda shocked to hear it's now a unicorn and not an hourglass anymore!
I vividly remember the advertisement for when they introduced the hour glass charm since it played nonstop on cartoon network. As a kid i thought it was a huge deal.
The unicorn marshmallows seem like they're sticking around for longer than originally advertised. I think there have been some temporary 'charms' over the years as well, like hourglasses and other items iirc.
I was taught growing up that a blue moon was the second full moon in one colander month. As this does not happen very often, the saying always made sense to me.
Hey J.J, you have to do another video on American Culture Canon, like the one you did on monsters, ice cream, and candy. You should do one on the 8 main genres of American Fiction. Action, Comedy, Romance, Musicals, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical, Horror.
A famous good-luck symbol from a culture I have always been fascinated with (Japan) is the maneki-neko, or "beckoning cat". Basically, a maneki-neko is a figurine of a cat, usually white or calico, with its paw raised up. In Japan, this expression is a way of beckoning someone, though to Westerners it doesn't read that way. Traditionally, it is placed in shops or other businesses as a way to "beckon in customers" and bring profit, though nowadays, people also keep them in their bedrooms or on their desks as it is thought to bring about success in life. While it originated in Japan, it later spread to China and to East Asian communities around the world. Outside of Japan, it's most commonly seen in Japanese restaurants and Asian-owned businesses, usually placed in the window or near the cash register. We don't know the actual historical reason why this became associated with good luck in Japan, but the Japanese do have a legend about a cat who lived at a Buddhist temple with the monks. One day, a samurai was walking along the road when it started to rain, and he took shelter under a tree. He then saw a cat waving its paw as if to beckon him to the temple, and he went over to get a closer look at it. Once he had walked over to the cat, the tree he was standing under was struck by lightning. The samurai was so grateful to the cat who saved his life that he became a patron of the temple. I, myself, have a lucky cat in my bedroom, which my father bought for me on a business trip in Hong Kong. It's a golden lucky cat, which are specifically supposed to bring wealth. And, considering right now I'm working a job that pays quite well, I guess it's working! :3
thats so cute! I didnt know the waving hand was "beckoning". In the west, I'm sure you know, its just a "greeting" which is similar but not the same ... still cute and friendly. The story about the temple is cool too. I knew about the neko cat attracting money, which is why its always by the entrance or register. Ive come to notice that cats around the world are either considered 1) very lucky 2) very unlucky 3) mysterious patrons of the unseen magical realms, or the afterlife .... we dont have similar global symbolism for any other common creatures like dogs or fish. We all seem fixated on cats for some reason, and very torn by what they "mean" or "do" ... and I think thats neat! 😸
During a visit to Japan, I was told that the type of luck the cat is bringing differs depending on which paw he beckons at you. The right one attracts wealth and its the one commonly used in restaurants and shops windows, while the left one attracts happyness so things like love or friendship.
@@sicahjehiah8729 great point about cats in global culture. I think the reason comes from cats nature as semidomestic and independent pet. Most of people can easily tell what dog wants, because it also is social group animal. But cats are different and people had problems to get into mind of cat and understand its motivation. And purely black, white cats or calico (only females can be) was rarer. Extra odd needs extra explanation.
@@MeltedMask this is a gorgeous explanation and needs no addition 🥺 but even without the symbolism behind it, it also explains why people either REALLY LOVE or REALLY HATE cats 😹!
Hey JJ, what about the hourglass? They removed it from the lineup in pretty recent years, but i'm curious if you had any idea why the hourglass was considered a "lucky charm".
That last part of the video makes me think about all the traditions around (western) wedding ceremonies. I.E. the white dress, tiered white cake, brides makes & groomsmen, etc. My understanding is that those elements are relatively recent, yet we think of them as being rooted in ancient customs.
13:35 I was also told it one point that hanging a horseshoe like that was lucky, but the explanation I was given was that luck would be caught inside the horseshoe. I'd never heard the "luck coming out of both ends" version before, interesting that there's more than one explanation for doing it
When I was a kid my dad used to say that if you hung the horseshoe upside down that the luck would pour out the ends. He said the same thing you said about the luck being caught in the horseshoe if you hung it right side up
I've been watching Lucky's Webisodes called "The Quest" several years ago. They're called Marshmallow Powers, the symbolism of the charms reflect the powers given to Lucky. Heart - Transformation/Animation Star - High flight Horseshoe - Speed Blue Moon - Disappearance Pots of Gold - Illuminating Rainbow - Flight by the trail Red balloon - Floating Crystal Mirror - Prediction Hourglass - Time control
This is a very timely video in my family. My daughters have been buying Lucky Charms recently when they see it in specialty stores here in Germany (for about 10 Euro a box😶). Last week, we were talking about how much the marshmallows have changed since I remember them (back in the 70s and 80s), and I got to wondering why they changed/added to them over the years and why the specific shapes. Now I know. Thank you, JJ.👍
They kept adding shapes so they could say it was what marketing people call "new and improved" to try to increase sales. And there was always a very exciting and suspenseful commercial where the cartoon leprechaun introduced the most amazing new lucky charm. Hurry and go buy it!!! It's the same exact cereal except we put more shapes and colors in it.
@@brothebys I’m originally for the States so I remember it there back in the day. I’ve seen Lucky Charms very recently here and only in specialty stores.
That's actually a very surface level analysis of the whole blue moon thing. According to various sources, the term originated in the Maine Farmers' Almanac, which defines it as the third of four full moons in a season. Normally, the moon is only full three times every season, since the lunar cycle is roughly one twelfth of the solar year. But since it's not exactly one twelfth, you will occasionally see four full moons in one season. It's basically the lunar equivalent of a leap day, and only occurs every two to three years (more precisely, it occurs seven times every nineteen years). While I can't pin down a date for when the term first appeared in isolation, the Maine Farmers' Almanac was first published in 1819, only a couple of years before 1821, which means the term may have existed on its own before the expression. I don't know where the "second full moon of the calendar year" thing comes from, but it sounds similar to the definition from the _Sky & Telescope_ magazine, which misunderstood the Maine Farmers' Almanac and reported that the blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar _month._ Also, I think it is worth mentioning that the moon can rarely appear blue to the eye, which could be another source for the expression. This is not a regular occurrence, however, and is caused by things like volcanoes and forest fires releasing smoke and ash into the sky. This scatters red light, causing the moon to appear blue, similar to how the sun appears yellow instead of white due to the atmosphere scattering blue light. So I don't think that it really applies to the modern expression, which to me implies some level of regularity. Sorry for the long comment. I just knew some of this beforehand and got really invested in digging everything up.
I had previously always understood a blue moon as being the second full moon in a calendar month, and was surprised by both JJ's definition and that more precise original definition.
This strikes me a bit dubious. I trust the Oxford dictionary to have done its research. I think “blue moon” is probably just a silly nonsensical saying that became popular because it sort of rhymes. If it was based on something real we would expect other languages to have a similar expression.
@@JJMcCullough validity of source aside, I think by 1995 when they introduced blue moon marshmallows, enough people would have understood that to symbolize a rare event based on the belief that "once in a blue moon" means the uncommon second full moon in a calendar month. I think @OptimusPhillip and others are just trying to say that the two sources cited provided were lacking and its odd that the modern, more common meaning was not mentioned, just that there's a lot of debate
@@tomasc7728 The argument is that the term predates anything to do with actual moon schedules. It doesn’t matter what the precise schedule was, whether it was twice a year or twice every ten years. The point is that’s not what the term was originally intended to describe. It was a figure of speech to describe an unlikely thing happening.
This is awesome I would love to see more stuff like this! Anything having to do with the origin of symbols in different cultures is truly fascinating! ❤️
You'll enjoy his videos on food then. He has some interesting ones about chip flavors, I've cream flavors, and others that elucidate us all on taken -for-granted ubiquitous American culture icons.
Since you covered “Good Luck”Superstitions here; you should do a video on “Bad Luck” Superstitions (Walking under a Ladder, Knocking over a Salt Shaker, Breaking a Mirror, Black Cats etc.)
Walking under a ladder = breaking the Holy Trinity Knocking over a salt shaker/Spilling salt = wasting money Breaking a mirror = destroying/causing injury to your soul Black Cats = A close associate to a witch, and therefore, also to Satan Opening an umbrella indoors = separating yourself from God Knocking on wood for good luck = Masking the sound of your conversation from potentially malicious eavesdroppers, (such as Siri and Alexa?)
Walking under a ladder is just bad workplace safety! It would be like if we had a superstition against leaving exposed wiring lying around. Technically true, I suppose, but really it's just common sense!
I wasn't exactly expecting this but this is the perfect topic for a JJ video. Putting the bits of American culture that are often taken for granted under a microscope.
Horse shoes also have a mythological connection! They were made of iron and it was said that they protected you from the fae or fairies who were considered dangerous
When I was first aware of Lucky Charms as a boy in the 1980s, it was Pink Hearts, Orange Stars, Yellow Moons, Green Clovers, and Blue Diamonds. I remember when Purple Horseshoes and Red Balloons showed up, but not much beyond that. Interesting that the Diamond went away completely, and the Moon turned from Yellow to Blue.
Okay, so here’s a thing though: when I was a kid, it was blue diamonds and yellow moons. The moons became blue when they introduced the pot of gold. In some ways, many of the early shapes (like diamonds) were probably chosen because they were simple and easy to make marshmallows of. Though, if you want to go down the diamonds route, maybe you should consider a video about the symbols used for different playing card suits. They vary from country to country. In the U.S., Canada and other places they’re hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs. But in places like Germany and Hungary, it’s acorns, leaves, hearts and bells. And in Italy, it’s swords, staves, coins and cups (which led to the suits of the tarot deck).
Card symbols would be interesting. Would be neat to find out where the rhombus = diamond thing came from cause diamonds are usually cut in a way that makes them look more like upside down pentagons more than anything
JJ, let me first say I never comment on UA-cam. But this video was fantastic! And I also love “sets” of things and my absolute favorite videos of yours are these (e.g. the toy symbols video). I don’t know what your metrics say about this *set* of videos, but please, please make more. Thank you for your content- you are fantastically talented and I know a ton of work goes into it.
Rabbit foot, obviously! As well as albatrosses! Also numbers 3, 7, 9 and 12. One Russian saying goes, "Oh, I haven't recognised you at first - you'll be wealthy!". There is also a tradition to eat five-petal lilac flowers for the lack on an exam - since we have a 5-point grade system it is said to be eaten to get "5" - the highest mark. Also, it said that you shouldn't wash you're had before the exam to not "wash out" the knowledge. I also don't know if it's something specifically Russian, but a blue bird (a bird of such colour doesn't exist in Russia) is said to symbolise lack.
This is absolutely 1 of my favorite pages and JJ being 1 of my favorite content creators. It's ALWAYS something interesting that you wouldn't necessarily expect to learn about. Always so informative and NEVER boring or dragging. I reside in Massachusetts so it's not a Canadian thing. Though I am French-Canadian and always get a good snicker when JJ roasts that part of Canada. Keep up the great work bro, much love from the USA!
The Heart at 10:37 - The catholic use of the heart shape (1500s) actually postdates its use on heraldry, coats of arms (1200s), and on playing cards (1400s). We actually have no idea; one theory is that some ancient medical textbook described it as shaped like that, another that it's a stylized ivy leaf (symbol of fidelity, because it clings) and people showed lovers offering ivy-shaped hearts, another that it's yonic. But there's an even simpler reason people assumed the heart was the seat of emotion: when you're really sad, the heart is where your brain registers physical pain. It's actually doing that because it doesn't understand what part of you is in pain, but assumes some place HAS to be. So it picks the heart. Wild, huh?
It's not JUST the seat of emotions, in ancient times it was considered the seat of thought as well, more like the entire mind. In the bible wisdom is associated with the heart, and ancient egyptians, who preserved the dead's organs in canopy jars, thought the heart was weighed against a feather to check whether a person was considered good or bad, but discarded the brain as junk...
The heart symbol as we know it may have first appeared on roman coins as a representation of the seed pod of the silphium plant, an absurdly popular herb in Rome for cooking and medicine that was consumed into extinction. It may have had associations with love and sex particularly due to its use as a contraceptive
It never ceases to amuse me, JJs usage of arcade sounds for his conceptual sound effects among his many other editing styles & choices. Like when this video cuts to the Ottoman Empire flag for example... I cannot recognize it & so I am not sure if that is a specific|famous, a royalty free, or a commissioned score, but either way I love the idea of adding different 8 bit arcade RPG themes behind the editing especially in certain cases like the Ottoman Empire section of this video. + The squeaky sound of a marker when circling things in his videos to highlight his points. Oh, & his opening credits of course, cannot forget that! The quick, subtle, half a second of 8 bit bells or whatever they are over a big yellow title card with the big, bold, & black 'J.J.' to initiate the official start of his videos after the prologues. - I love it. I have been hooked since day 1 & I appreciate it immensely! I guess I have never thought about mentioning it before & idk if anyone has ever complimented the stylistic genius of this channel or not [I would assume so by now, surely], but after finding myself rather amused once again, I felt it high time to sing my praises! lol Kudos, ol Chap! & Thank you for your continued contributions!
@@JJMcCullough The mere fact that you actually read that mini novella of a comment that I wrote, shows your dedication! - Expressing my appreciation is the absolute least I can do. - You may be a professional commentator of the cultural canon that surrounds us all, but u do hav your own quirks within this growing community, which I have noticed myself lol & I love every lil bit of it! [How long til u start becoming meta? That is the question] 🤔
My Lucky charms as a 1973 kid had pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers, and blue diamonds. I distinctly remember the campaign to reveal the new marshmallow "and purple horseshoes!" in 1983. Then later "red balloons" in 1989. These seem like the core line-up before they really went crazy, combining colours and phasing out old marbits in favour of flashy overdone new ones...
You didn't have blue diamonds in 1973. They were added in the late seventies. I remember their being added; I was too young to be in school yet at the time, but it was definitely later than 1973.
Actually, a more key reason Nena had 99 red balloons in her song was because she needed an extra syllable. In the original song, which was german, the phrase "Neun und neunzig luftballons" was used, which is "Ninety-nine Balloons" in english, or translated literally "Nine and ninety air balloons". Since the german system of numbers adds the second digit onto the multiple of ten, and balloons are referred to with the compound noun "luftballons" the german version of the line was a decent bit longer. So, in the english transliteration of the song, they added in the detail that balloons were red, in order to help pick up some of that slack.
We also had a horseshoe at our house and my grandmother would say you needed it with the tines pointing up so the luck wouldn't run out :) Also with a middle name like Patrick and last name O'Keefe, many of the Irish iconography played a significant role in my childhood. But the red balloon... That was a head scratcher when it came out in '89 :). I always remember the catch phrase "Frosted Lucky Charms, they're magically delicious", which of course was enough for me as a child to wildly crave XD. Thanks for this as always JJ, Happy Saturday everyone!
Love these types of videos. No one does historical/cultural videos quite like this. And I feel good watching them knowing JJ (although certainly not 100% accurate (but way more than most!!!)) is well researched and not just a flood of fast internet facts.
Personally, I've always loved the idea that finding and pucking up a penny is lucky. I don't know how local this is to me but at least in Wales there's a short rhyme that some people sing when someone finds a penny: "find a penny, pick it up, all day long, you'll have good luck"
Very interesting, especially the balloon. In Norway I'm pretty sure the default color of the balloon is blue, it's because of an old song called "Jeg vil ha en blå ballong".
Here in Germany, chimney sweeps are among the most common symbols for luck. That has very likely a quite pragmatic origin though, simply because of the fact, that when a chimney sweep was regularly taking care of your chimney, you're going to be "lucky" in a way, so that your house is going to be safe from fire. Which has of course nothing to do with the magic properties of a chimney sweep as such and everything to do with their work. It is a quite common new year's gift, to give somebody a little pot with 4 leafed clovers (you can by a specific breed of clovers, where a they have all 4 leafs), a little figure of a chimney sweep put on top and a little figure of a fly agaric mushroom (which is also next to the chimney sweep and the clovers on of the canon symbols for good luck)
I heard storks were considered lucky in Germany (and Poland, and possibly elsewhere in northern Europe). Is that in general or just if they nest nearby?
@@NathanMN Generally speaking, there's a ton of small towns and villages, who will put a ready to use nest on top of the roof of the town's church or city hall, in the hope, the town will have "their" stork couple. My hometown as well. Local news will report, when there's a stork on the roof of the local church, there's a "stork friendship club", who are lobbying to keep the "stork meadows", which is an empty field next to an industrial zone, where supposedly storks will regularly go to rest or search for food, free from urban or industrial development. Storks are more than just a "lucky charm" here, people feel quite deeply about them. Btw, I'm not in northern europe, I come from the south western tip of Germany. We are next to the Burgundy region in France to the west and Milan to the south is the next city with over 1 million inhabitants. Paris is also closer than Berlin, or any other german city over 1 million
@@martinbruhn5274 Thank you. Half my ancestry comes from the part of Prussia now in Poland: 3/8 from East Prussia and 1/8 from Pomerania and Posen. I got to visit those areas in 2008. Another 1/8 of my ancestry comes from Württemberg, which I'm going to visit on my next trip to Europe.
@@NathanMN Seriously, I don't know my ancestry as well as you seem to. I know who my grandparents are, and then sort of with some of my great grandparents, but not with all of them though. Also don't know where they come from, or where they were born. I also don't care
Wait, what about the hourglass marshmallows? The Lucky Charms jingle when I was growing up was "Hearts, stars and horseshoes, clovers and blue moons; Hourglasses, rainbows, and tasty red balloons."
Le Ballon Rouge is one of my favorite films of all time. I’ve always found it funny how the film was originally black and white, so the color of the balloon had to be specified in the title
I dont know if this was a broader national belief at the time or just one specific to his occupation but my great grandmother would talk about how her dad back on Crete (my great great grandfather) would collect food from the sea to sell on the local market ,and whenever he got an octopus if it wrapped around his wrist rather than his arm or hands that would mean some unexpected good fortune would happen to him or his family within a year. NO idea what the symbolism or thought process behind that was and it has always puzzled me
I have always known the song as “hearts, stars, and horseshoes. Clovers and blue moons. Hourglasses, rainbows and tasty red balloons.” I have never heard of this “pot of gold” version all throughout growing up in the early 2000s or now.
14:10 The Ottoman Empire got the symbol from the Eastern Roman Empire that preceded it. The star and crescent being a symbol of the Greek city of Byzantium (later renamed to Constantinople when it became the capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire) since Antiquity, being associated with the patron goddess of Byzantium, Hekate, who was also the goddess of the moon.
I’m Cornish and you can buy Cornish pixies (or piskies) in a lot of tourist shops here. I myself have a brass 1920s one that I like to wear sometimes 😊
My hometown in California back in the 1920s, the Irish were the only people who were actively discriminated against. There were signs that said “no dogs or Irish.” So since my family was Irish, they couldn’t get work anywhere except as firemen and policemen. And guess who didn’t put out fires at those businesses that had the racist signs?
I remember when I was a teen (so late 80s/early 90s) my sister and I took an online quiz (yes we were early netizens) that said what your personality type was based on what your favourite Lucky Charms marshmallow was. My sister kept teasing me for months when I picked my favourite: the oat bits. (Apparently this meant my personality was dull and boring, which wasn’t wrong …). Her nickname for me for years after was Oat Bit.
Totally agree. My mom used to get lucky charms and I would pick out all the marshmallows and eat the rest and she stopped buying it after awhile. I hated the weird taste and feel of them. But then I hate circus peanuts.
12:47 Who put the butter in butterfly! Love that book. I would always ask those kinda pointless questions on why words were the way they were when I was a kid and my grandfather gave me it one year as a gift. Boom will always have a special place in my heart :’)
13:34 To me (in Germany) the upward open horseshoe always meas basicly the exact opposite. It catches all the bad luck falling down, while the good luck just falls by, onto you.
I can't be the only one who watched this and thought "Surely they just wanted easily identifiable symbols in basic colors like red, green, blue, etc. and there seems to be no categorical reason why these were chosen." I also just learned more about the Irish than I was expecting to learn even in a Lucky Charms video. :D
I grew up with pink hearts, green clovers, yellow moons, and orange stars. When they added blue diamonds it was so shocking to me. So new and... blue! Then they just starting changing them all the time. Seventies kids remember though.
Yes! Pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers, blue diamonds, then later purple horseshoes and red balloons. Rainbows came even later than that. The cereal pieces have some weird shapes, too.
I remember. It was such a YUGE deal in the mid-1970s that Lucky Charms was getting a *FIFTH MARSHMALLOW* added. I made sure we had some for our camping trip that summer.
I remember when they added the red balloon. As a child of the 80s a lot of my culture was based on blind consumerism. You needed to help find lucky by naming the original shapes. I got a letter back saying I did it correctly. Was pretty stoked
Delightful description of the symbols. Particularly considering how seemingly polarizing some of the history of these symbols have ie. Religions, stereotypes
Interesting! I was told in my childhood that the heart shape originates from the shape of the leaves of ivy, as it was seen as a good symbol. Also, you could’ve mentioned horseshoe throwing, which is another sometimes somewhat luck-based thing associated with horseshoes.
Growing up, I always heard that a blue moon was the second full moon in a given (Gregorian) month (for example, if you have a full moon on January 2nd and then again on January 29th, the second one is a blue moon). I grew up around Pittsburgh but I believe I heard that particular explanation from relatives in Ohio. I have no idea how common it is though.
In Italy ladybugs are associated with good fortune, because if one touches you, it is said to be a sign of future luck. This is in return very lucky for ladybugs, since are one of the few inserts almost everyone can at least tolerate. Another very famous lucky symbol here, in particular from Naples, is the cornetto (little horn), a red thing witg the shape of a chilli pepper that it's often sold as a key chain. Also related to horns, there's the "horn gesture". It's very similar ti the gesture typically associated with rock music. This symbol can have many different meaning tho: in some cases it's a luck symbol, sometimes it's specifically done to avoid bad luck, other times it can be an offensive gesture and it can also indicate a person that is cheated on (she/he's "horned")
people kind of say the same thing about butterflies but if one lands on you, it means you're at peace rather than luck. I live in middle US and there's quite a lot of ladybugs so it's just slightly more uncommon for a ladybug to land on you than a fly.
Is no one going to notice my cool shirt??
Also a fly new doo:-)
@@planningpersonlaidbackdeep1273 Doo?
Nice haircut! 👍
That is a cool shirt J.J.
Hello to you too, J.J.!
He’s back at it again, answering questions no one had, but now we’re all curious about.
This comment is definitely gonna get popular
seriously, i dont know how he comes up with a lot of these topics. theyre like random shower thoughts but consistently super interesting.
And he included him talking about flags in the video too!!
So right 😂🤣
I'm right there with you!
Seeing JJ nonchalantly throw his perfect 5 pointed star on the floor to proudly present his disfigured paper waste made my day. Had to replay 5 times.
I would love to see you do a break down on how the different symbols on slot machines came to be. I've always been curious about the odd mix of fruits, 7's, horseshoes, etc.
When money prizes were forbidden in slot machines, they offered bubble gum when their player got a won. The fruits indicated then what flavour of bubble gum you were getting.
JJ's 15th video actually covers this. 5 facts about food in games
@@Riutanharju Wow that makes so much sense haha! Neat
what's up checkmark
Yup the guy above is right. They used to give out fruit gum and you’d get the flavor of your match. The BAR logo is a generic version of logo of the company that first made the machines.
In Hungary the green trabant (which is an old east german car) is considered as a symbol of luck. I think it’s because in the old socialist times, in order to get a car you needed to sign up for a list and wait (sometimes years) for a car. So you were not in a position to choose a color, most of these cars were blue or grey. A green trabant was considered really rare, so if you saw one it was a sign of luck. 😃 Some people even had a green trabant keychain.
A good luck car. Awesome!
haha yes, we even have a silly litte rhyme(?) for it: “Zöld Trabantot látok, szerencsét találok” which means “I see a green Trabant, i find luck”. You have to say when you see one and then pinch someone. But there are several versions one of the more common is you say the rhyme and then you ask for a day from the other(like monday or something) and then that will be your lucky day on the week.
oh that's interesting! :D Cool
in most of Latin America we have a similar thing, the VW beetle is considered lucky, we call it "pichirilo." I think its strange how its a symbol of luck but also there's a tradition of punching someone in the arm when you spot one out in the wild
This is a very interesting piece of trivia I had not known about. Me being 2nd Gen Hungarian, my parents never mentioned any such symbol of luck but I do remember quite a lot of green trabant toys here and there. So this is quite believable.
I've heard that the Irish luck thing was originally just sarcastic, based on the fact that Ireland historically had horrible luck
I'd heard it was about an Irish guy in Australia that kept losing money on horseracing but I'm not too sure.
Their capital city was literally founded by vikings so that they'd have somewhere to ship Irish slaves out from.
Terrible luck indeed.
@@poankiyu7664 Hah that’s wild that the Australians have their own theory about this
So the common consensus here in Ireland is that it’s both dumb luck and bad luck but most of us tend to lean towards the bad luck theory and if you look into the history of our nation there tends to be a lot of bad luck involved hence why we may lean more towards this idea.
I’ve heard it as well from my Irish granddad.
There's another element to the horseshoe: wrought iron was historically thought to ward off evil spirits, hence wrought-iron fences around graveyards and D&D's "cold iron"
And the big iron on his hip :00
Not just evil spirits. Good or evil, the fey as a whole are said to be unable to touch wrought iron, which ties right back into that irish theme.
Is this similar to silver bullets and werewolves? Sounds very similar
Ooh yeah! And if you 'hang it upside down, the luck will spill out.'
@@lessoriginal And I suppose that Lucky the Leprechaun can only tolerate the horse shoe in his cereal is because it's made of marshmallow, instead of iron.
I’d never heard blue moon referring to the second full moon of the year. I grew up understanding that a blue moon refers to when you have two full moons in the same month. That’s what made it rare and therefore lucky.
pretty sure this is the right definition.
Same here
I also thought that. Also because not older than JJ I recall a time when Lucky charms touted yellow moons gold stars and now new blue diamonds. Early 80s probably if not late 70s
I live in the state of Arkansas, and here at least, blacksmiths, ranchers, and others will nail horse shoes to their door posts. During some period of time (when it rains, if I remember correctly?) They will point the open ends up, supposedly collecting luck like in a bucket. When the rain stops, or whenever they feel like they need the extra luck, they will point the open end down, symbolically pouring luck into the places they work/live. Just what I've seen around here!
I've heard that explanation too from my grandparents, who also lived in Arkansas!
Here in Minnesota, I was told that pointing horseshoes up is lucky and pointing them down is unlucky because all of the luck falls out.
Arkansas resident also. :)
Same in Texas
@@MidwestArtMan That’s how it is in Indiana too
9:48 I love that J.J. uses the hilarious sketch created for the Crichton Leprauchaun. Basically a bunch of people in Alabama claimed they saw a leprechaun in their neighborhood. The craze spread and wacky hijinks ensued including a couple people claiming to be “professional” leprechaun hunters. The whole situation was absolutely wild.
Glad I’m not the only one to recognize it
Wait, that's a leprechaun? I thought it was a crack-head... too bad there isn't anyone with a flute on hand to confirm.
Sugar used to be advertised as good for kids because it gave them energy. The only sources I have are what boomers told me, but I've been told about it by several people at different times throughout my life.
It wasn’t just kids, this was a very mainstream way to advertise candy. I’ve seen ads where are they are pushing it on housewives to give them more energy to finish their chores
@@JJMcCullough I saw somewhere that sugar was also advertised back in the day as a weight loss tool as it was said that if you had a full tsp of sugar before each meal it would give you the energy and strength to exercise will power in not overeating! I think it was an ad from the sugar companies though, but still. Absurd by today's standards but fascinating!!
remember for awhile cereal companies used to market that their product would help boost immunity.
@@subparnaturedocumentary and the whole Kellogg's anti-fap phenomenon lmao. People are nuts. Love it.
@@GarrettMerkin it would be funny to imagine Kelloggs trying to still market their product for that reason today and have an ad campaign based around Ned flanders where he claims corn flakes are good for keepin down the urges 🤣
Crossed fingers always strikes me as a weird symbol representing luck (or wishing for luck?). In the UK, the logo for the national lottery is a stylised hand with crossed fingers, with the ring and pinkie fingers used as its eyes.
It would be interesting to see what different hand symbols represent both in the US and other cultures. It always fascinates me how we have come to the conclusion that holding our fingers in certain ways can be representative of something (thumbs up etc), or even offensive (middle finger) and where these gestures originate.
interesting that crossed fingers in america can also mean "luck" but MOSTLY they mean "i am lying!" People hold crossed fingers hidden behind their back or in their pockets when they want to offset the guilt of, internally confirm, justify, or secretly show others that they are lying to somebody. Its kind of like a superstitious or playful loophole, and is like protection against consequence, or against getting the lie exposed. The crossed fingers are like lucky protection of the secret lie, pretty much. And i said "loophole" because if you cross your fingers, the lie supposedly ""doesn't count"" against you ethically lol, since you've warded off the evil of lying (and getting caught)
Despite the fact this hand signal most usually means "I'm tricking them" we STILL have a spoken expression that goes "fingers crossed!!" when we want to say "i hope so" or "good luck". The expression and the actual hand signal basically have different or even opposite meanings, then. And i guess its more like the Hidden crossed fingers = lie or trick. Whereas if you hold up both your hands in crossed fingers, smile, show them to somebody, THEN it means "good luck", similar to a double thumbs up. But both of these are kind of outdated and uncommon. Imo, "fingers crossed" the expression meaning "good luck" is most common, and also the hidden hand signal meaning "I'm lying" is pretty common too. Verbal expression VS physical hand signal ... they each have their place and dont overlap a ton nowadays, although I'm sure their origin was the same
crossing fingers is a symbol in america too, or so ive seen
@@sicahjehiah8729 never even heard of people doing that, and i live in the us
@@sicahjehiah8729 This is entirely a guess, but maybe those two meanings are related. I have always thought of "fingers crossed" as a way not to get jinxed, the idea that if you say something good is going to happen, it won't. Maybe it originally meant "What I am saying doesn't count.", whether that is because it is lie or because you don't what the universe to spite you. Maybe I am overthinking it and it is just a more general "don't give me bad luck" gesture.
I'm pretty sure it exists in the US although I haven't seen the crossed fingers symbol in a long time I'm pretty sure I last saw it in a cartoon or comic from childhood. I'm from Canada and 90% chance the show was American
For Germany, apart from the four-leaf clover and horseshoe, there are also ladybugs, mushrooms (particularly, stylised fly agarics), pigs, chimney sweeps, as well as coins (traditionally the 1 penny/0.01 German marks coin). Two of them even made it into idioms: "Schwein haben" (literally to have [a] pig) means to be lucky and someone particularly lucky might be called a "Glückspilz" (good luck mushroom).
Pretty curious to know why Germans consider pigs/swines to be good luck.
Ladybugs are considered to be of good luck in the Hispanic world as well. In fact, I was told never to kill one since it would bring BAD luck.
A lucky penny is annidea in the US as well.
The "Schwein haben" idiom actually has a pretty interesting backstory. In the middle ages, the looser of a tournament (commonly in jousting and horse tournaments) would be sometimes given a pig as a sort of consolation price. But because he did not die during the tournnament (as it not rarely happend) and "just" lost, he was still lucky and "hatte Schwein" (had pig)
Chimney sweeps and small coins also brinks luck in Poland. Do white stork are also considered lucky in Germany, as in Poland?
Watching JJ cutout a star is the most wholesome thing I’ve seen today and it was definitely needed.
I agree. I came looking for this comment.
The Ottoman usage of the star and crescent came from Constantinople using it as a city symbol. They long aspired to conquer the city before finally doing so I'm 1453, and so used the symbol beforehand. Interestingly, it was a common symbol throughout Anatolia and Mesopotamia for millenia before that. My episode about stars on flags covers this in more detail
This is why I have lots of love for your channel such a random topic but actually incredibly interesting! 🥰
I love your channel Roly! Hello to you :D
" make a 17 Minute Video talking about Lucky charms marsh mellows"
me - how is that possible?
JJ - watch this. LOL I Love this channel also
This is the type of content we need more of. Combination of the great food, cereal, and deep dives into cultural meaning. Bravo.
I edited a typo and accidentally got rid of my heart. So sad
He added it back
@@unnot5706 Sweet
I wonder if JJ has ever thought about covering more of the 'artificial flavors'. You know, blue raspberry, bubble gum, Dr. Pepper, flavors that don't have a 'natural' equivalent yet are very well established.
Blue raspberries are real, but it's more often that it fills the blue coloration niche more distinctly. If artificial raspberry were red it'd overlap with other common flavors like strawberry, cherry, watermelon, and cinnamon.
Incidentally, this comes after recently finishing off a pouch of "Haribo Sour S'ghetti," which actually had blueberry as its blue flavor. Surprised me, for sure.
@@normanclatcher I've had blueberry flavored stuff before, and it definitely threw me off when it wasn't sour. The weirdest one is Dumdums. I have to triple check the wrapper to make sure it's blue raspberry and not fricking cotton candy.
Hats off to J.J. for the leprechaun sketch at 9:48! I find myself going back to that news segment every now and again.
the buckle being not even close to the ribbon is the cherry on top for me😭😭
That’s still the greatest internet video of all time. There are two different videos from two different local news stations.
Loved that, too
J.J. accidentally discarding the star and then confusedly unraveling the scraps. 🎖Award-winning
Coming from a Japanese background, the first and foremost example of a lucky charm that comes to mind would be the Manji (swastika), along with manekineko and Kumade. I would be heavily interested in lucky charms of any other cultural backgrounds.
Seconding a video about lucky charms of the world, as well as the Evil Eye.
I mean... the store brand Lucky Charms come in nautical shapes, because that's CLEARLY the most adjacent option.
Hindus also consider swastika a lucky symbol and is usually hanged or painted near entrance.
@@adweetiyamohapatra7326 and the NSDAP thought it looked cool
@@sheevinopalpatino4782 That was actually the reason that they chose it. It was widely considered a positive symbol prior to the Nazis. It would be kind of like if a modern fascist movement made a smiley face or peace sign their symbol.
JJ I absolutely love how animated you are. I've seen you in your interviews aswell. I am brought to ease watching your content as you always bring a genuine nature shut out by many. As a fellow Canadian you make me proud, and your openness gives me pride. Have a gooder anyone reading this :)
I still associate those moderately edible packing peanuts with my grandmother, who was born in 1918. JJ's channel is truly hip with the kids.
Circus peanuts are good though. Marshmallows rule.
7:35 I love this moment! Glad you kept it in the video!
I was always told a Blue Moon was when a Full Moon appeared twice in 1 Calendar Month. So if their was a Full moon on the 2nd of May, and on the 30th of May, the one on the 30th would be called the Blue Moon. Although, given that there are 12-13 Lunar months in a Year, "once in a blue moon" roughly means "slightly more than biannually"
That's what I've seen as well and how I understood it, since it's a lunar event that lines up with the solar calendar every 2-3 years or so
As the book I quote from says, this is a tradition that was made up to use the expression, as opposed to an expression to describe a tradition.
@@JJMcCullough I've been "well actually"ed by JJ McCullough. This is a dream come true :,)
They’re also when Smurfs are born
@@JJMcCullough But JJ, I feel this tradition re-inforces the saying, which is worth noting, especially as this application of the phrase/symbol would have been in use at the time of the cereal's generation. I don't see how it's more helpful or more "true" even to cite the arbitrary use of the phrase in the 1800s, when this is not the understanding that informed the "set" of lucky charms serials. History is not generated at one single point in time.
A couple months ago I commented on a video about how your videos carried me through my Saturday shifts at work and now you’re carrying me through my move from California to North Carolina. I’ve been dreading being here and realize it was a mistake to come here but you are one of the things I have to look forward to.
Aw so happy to be a positive part of your life!
what part of NC are you moving to?
@@matthewkane1188 I’m in concord,already here but the move isn’t entirely done yet.
@@JJMcCullough appreciate you bringing positivity to my life!
On the balloon matter.
Nena only specified the colour of the balloons in the English version of the song. I would assume to still have a similar flow of words to the original German version where she sings about "Luftballons" or just Balloons.(literally :air balloons)
They needed to add a syllable to the English version because 99 in German has 1 more than 99 in English. Red is one syllable so it let them keep the beat.
@@thetrainhopper8992 it is something to note that red isn't the only color with one syllable. It could have just as easily been blue, orange, green, or even brown.
@@nathanb011 How do say orange with 1 syllable?
@@arrgghh1555 With a Michigan accent.
@@arrgghh1555 "ornj" instead of "oranj"
I think largely because of the era in which I grew up (born in early 2000s, grew up in late 2000s/2010s), I actually never heard the version of the song with the Pot of Gold marshmallow, nor have I eaten a box of Lucky Charms with that marshmallow. I discovered that it was because the Pot of Gold was replaced with a Golden Hourglass in 2008. This is the marshmallow I'm familiar with (although it was also retired in 2018 and replaced by a unicorn). So I remember the song slightly differently as:
"Hearts, stars, and horseshoes! Clovers and blue moons! *Hourglasses*, rainbows, and tasty red balloons!"
Apparently, because the hourglass has historically been a symbol representing time, the hourglass symbolized the leprechaun's ability to start, stop, and reverse time in order to enjoy and savour the time people had eating the cereal.
Thought I was going crazy for a bit since I couldn't find anyone else mentioning the pot of gold/hourglass discrepancy ... glad I'm not the only one here who grew up with the hourglass version loll. Although, I'm kinda shocked to hear it's now a unicorn and not an hourglass anymore!
I vividly remember the advertisement for when they introduced the hour glass charm since it played nonstop on cartoon network. As a kid i thought it was a huge deal.
The unicorn marshmallows seem like they're sticking around for longer than originally advertised.
I think there have been some temporary 'charms' over the years as well, like hourglasses and other items iirc.
I was taught growing up that a blue moon was the second full moon in one colander month. As this does not happen very often, the saying always made sense to me.
Hey J.J, you have to do another video on American Culture Canon, like the one you did on monsters, ice cream, and candy. You should do one on the 8 main genres of American Fiction. Action, Comedy, Romance, Musicals, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical, Horror.
@@bigscarysteve Technically any peice of fiction like books, plays, etc. But my comment was mostly made in mind of shows and movies.
A famous good-luck symbol from a culture I have always been fascinated with (Japan) is the maneki-neko, or "beckoning cat". Basically, a maneki-neko is a figurine of a cat, usually white or calico, with its paw raised up. In Japan, this expression is a way of beckoning someone, though to Westerners it doesn't read that way. Traditionally, it is placed in shops or other businesses as a way to "beckon in customers" and bring profit, though nowadays, people also keep them in their bedrooms or on their desks as it is thought to bring about success in life. While it originated in Japan, it later spread to China and to East Asian communities around the world. Outside of Japan, it's most commonly seen in Japanese restaurants and Asian-owned businesses, usually placed in the window or near the cash register.
We don't know the actual historical reason why this became associated with good luck in Japan, but the Japanese do have a legend about a cat who lived at a Buddhist temple with the monks. One day, a samurai was walking along the road when it started to rain, and he took shelter under a tree. He then saw a cat waving its paw as if to beckon him to the temple, and he went over to get a closer look at it. Once he had walked over to the cat, the tree he was standing under was struck by lightning. The samurai was so grateful to the cat who saved his life that he became a patron of the temple.
I, myself, have a lucky cat in my bedroom, which my father bought for me on a business trip in Hong Kong. It's a golden lucky cat, which are specifically supposed to bring wealth. And, considering right now I'm working a job that pays quite well, I guess it's working! :3
thats so cute! I didnt know the waving hand was "beckoning". In the west, I'm sure you know, its just a "greeting" which is similar but not the same ... still cute and friendly. The story about the temple is cool too. I knew about the neko cat attracting money, which is why its always by the entrance or register. Ive come to notice that cats around the world are either considered 1) very lucky 2) very unlucky 3) mysterious patrons of the unseen magical realms, or the afterlife .... we dont have similar global symbolism for any other common creatures like dogs or fish. We all seem fixated on cats for some reason, and very torn by what they "mean" or "do" ... and I think thats neat! 😸
During a visit to Japan, I was told that the type of luck the cat is bringing differs depending on which paw he beckons at you. The right one attracts wealth and its the one commonly used in restaurants and shops windows, while the left one attracts happyness so things like love or friendship.
@@zanizone3617 I heard the same explanation in South Korea, when I was stationed there in the mid-1990s.
@@sicahjehiah8729 great point about cats in global culture.
I think the reason comes from cats nature as semidomestic and independent pet. Most of people can easily tell what dog wants, because it also is social group animal. But cats are different and people had problems to get into mind of cat and understand its motivation.
And purely black, white cats or calico (only females can be) was rarer. Extra odd needs extra explanation.
@@MeltedMask this is a gorgeous explanation and needs no addition 🥺 but even without the symbolism behind it, it also explains why people either REALLY LOVE or REALLY HATE cats 😹!
Hey JJ, what about the hourglass? They removed it from the lineup in pretty recent years, but i'm curious if you had any idea why the hourglass was considered a "lucky charm".
Not gonna lie. I thought I was misremembering the hourglass. Thank you for making me feel not insane
They took out the hourglass!? That’s the one I grew up with!
That last part of the video makes me think about all the traditions around (western) wedding ceremonies. I.E. the white dress, tiered white cake, brides makes & groomsmen, etc. My understanding is that those elements are relatively recent, yet we think of them as being rooted in ancient customs.
Yep! In the old poem "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" the "something blue" meant the dress.
13:35 I was also told it one point that hanging a horseshoe like that was lucky, but the explanation I was given was that luck would be caught inside the horseshoe. I'd never heard the "luck coming out of both ends" version before, interesting that there's more than one explanation for doing it
When I was a kid my dad used to say that if you hung the horseshoe upside down that the luck would pour out the ends. He said the same thing you said about the luck being caught in the horseshoe if you hung it right side up
I've been watching Lucky's Webisodes called "The Quest" several years ago. They're called Marshmallow Powers, the symbolism of the charms reflect the powers given to Lucky.
Heart - Transformation/Animation
Star - High flight
Horseshoe - Speed
Blue Moon - Disappearance
Pots of Gold - Illuminating
Rainbow - Flight by the trail
Red balloon - Floating
Crystal Mirror - Prediction
Hourglass - Time control
This is a very timely video in my family. My daughters have been buying Lucky Charms recently when they see it in specialty stores here in Germany (for about 10 Euro a box😶). Last week, we were talking about how much the marshmallows have changed since I remember them (back in the 70s and 80s), and I got to wondering why they changed/added to them over the years and why the specific shapes. Now I know. Thank you, JJ.👍
Does this mean Germany had this cereal for 40 years now but it never took off?
In Germany Marshmallow arent unusual but definitely not such a thing like in the Us
They kept adding shapes so they could say it was what marketing people call "new and improved" to try to increase sales.
And there was always a very exciting and suspenseful commercial where the cartoon leprechaun introduced the most amazing new lucky charm. Hurry and go buy it!!! It's the same exact cereal except we put more shapes and colors in it.
@@brothebys I’m originally for the States so I remember it there back in the day. I’ve seen Lucky Charms very recently here and only in specialty stores.
That's actually a very surface level analysis of the whole blue moon thing. According to various sources, the term originated in the Maine Farmers' Almanac, which defines it as the third of four full moons in a season. Normally, the moon is only full three times every season, since the lunar cycle is roughly one twelfth of the solar year. But since it's not exactly one twelfth, you will occasionally see four full moons in one season. It's basically the lunar equivalent of a leap day, and only occurs every two to three years (more precisely, it occurs seven times every nineteen years). While I can't pin down a date for when the term first appeared in isolation, the Maine Farmers' Almanac was first published in 1819, only a couple of years before 1821, which means the term may have existed on its own before the expression.
I don't know where the "second full moon of the calendar year" thing comes from, but it sounds similar to the definition from the _Sky & Telescope_ magazine, which misunderstood the Maine Farmers' Almanac and reported that the blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar _month._ Also, I think it is worth mentioning that the moon can rarely appear blue to the eye, which could be another source for the expression. This is not a regular occurrence, however, and is caused by things like volcanoes and forest fires releasing smoke and ash into the sky. This scatters red light, causing the moon to appear blue, similar to how the sun appears yellow instead of white due to the atmosphere scattering blue light. So I don't think that it really applies to the modern expression, which to me implies some level of regularity.
Sorry for the long comment. I just knew some of this beforehand and got really invested in digging everything up.
I've never even heard of the term bluemoon before watching the live action Smuf movie lol
I had previously always understood a blue moon as being the second full moon in a calendar month, and was surprised by both JJ's definition and that more precise original definition.
This strikes me a bit dubious. I trust the Oxford dictionary to have done its research. I think “blue moon” is probably just a silly nonsensical saying that became popular because it sort of rhymes. If it was based on something real we would expect other languages to have a similar expression.
@@JJMcCullough validity of source aside, I think by 1995 when they introduced blue moon marshmallows, enough people would have understood that to symbolize a rare event based on the belief that "once in a blue moon" means the uncommon second full moon in a calendar month.
I think @OptimusPhillip and others are just trying to say that the two sources cited provided were lacking and its odd that the modern, more common meaning was not mentioned, just that there's a lot of debate
@@tomasc7728 The argument is that the term predates anything to do with actual moon schedules. It doesn’t matter what the precise schedule was, whether it was twice a year or twice every ten years. The point is that’s not what the term was originally intended to describe. It was a figure of speech to describe an unlikely thing happening.
This is awesome I would love to see more stuff like this! Anything having to do with the origin of symbols in different cultures is truly fascinating! ❤️
You'll enjoy his videos on food then. He has some interesting ones about chip flavors, I've cream flavors, and others that elucidate us all on taken -for-granted ubiquitous American culture icons.
Since you covered “Good Luck”Superstitions here; you should do a video on “Bad Luck” Superstitions
(Walking under a Ladder, Knocking over a Salt Shaker, Breaking a Mirror, Black Cats etc.)
Why is no one buying my Unlucky Curses cereal?
Walking under a ladder = breaking the Holy Trinity
Knocking over a salt shaker/Spilling salt = wasting money
Breaking a mirror = destroying/causing injury to your soul
Black Cats = A close associate to a witch, and therefore, also to Satan
Opening an umbrella indoors = separating yourself from God
Knocking on wood for good luck = Masking the sound of your conversation from potentially malicious eavesdroppers, (such as Siri and Alexa?)
Opening an umbrella indoors
Walking under a ladder is just bad workplace safety! It would be like if we had a superstition against leaving exposed wiring lying around. Technically true, I suppose, but really it's just common sense!
I was always under the impression the blue moon was whenever there was a second moon within a single month, making it an uncommon sighting.
Did you watch the video?
@@JJMcCullough Month, not year. So if we had 2 full moons in one month, the second would be a "blue moon".
@@JJMcCullough in the video it said year
I was always told it was the second full moon in a calendar month as well. Just checked google and it was definition number two on there.
That’s what I heard too
I wasn't exactly expecting this but this is the perfect topic for a JJ video. Putting the bits of American culture that are often taken for granted under a microscope.
Horse shoes also have a mythological connection! They were made of iron and it was said that they protected you from the fae or fairies who were considered dangerous
When I was first aware of Lucky Charms as a boy in the 1980s, it was Pink Hearts, Orange Stars, Yellow Moons, Green Clovers, and Blue Diamonds. I remember when Purple Horseshoes and Red Balloons showed up, but not much beyond that. Interesting that the Diamond went away completely, and the Moon turned from Yellow to Blue.
Okay, so here’s a thing though: when I was a kid, it was blue diamonds and yellow moons. The moons became blue when they introduced the pot of gold. In some ways, many of the early shapes (like diamonds) were probably chosen because they were simple and easy to make marshmallows of.
Though, if you want to go down the diamonds route, maybe you should consider a video about the symbols used for different playing card suits. They vary from country to country. In the U.S., Canada and other places they’re hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs. But in places like Germany and Hungary, it’s acorns, leaves, hearts and bells. And in Italy, it’s swords, staves, coins and cups (which led to the suits of the tarot deck).
And leprechaun HATS. And the hearts were PINK. And man I can’t believe I forgot about the blue diamonds!
@@jjsthe4th Man people forgot yhe diamonds were blue, the moon was yellow, and trix wasn't shaped like fruit.
JJ already has a video on playing cards.
Card symbols would be interesting. Would be neat to find out where the rhombus = diamond thing came from cause diamonds are usually cut in a way that makes them look more like upside down pentagons more than anything
JJ, let me first say I never comment on UA-cam. But this video was fantastic! And I also love “sets” of things and my absolute favorite videos of yours are these (e.g. the toy symbols video). I don’t know what your metrics say about this *set* of videos, but please, please make more. Thank you for your content- you are fantastically talented and I know a ton of work goes into it.
Rabbit foot, obviously! As well as albatrosses! Also numbers 3, 7, 9 and 12.
One Russian saying goes, "Oh, I haven't recognised you at first - you'll be wealthy!". There is also a tradition to eat five-petal lilac flowers for the lack on an exam - since we have a 5-point grade system it is said to be eaten to get "5" - the highest mark. Also, it said that you shouldn't wash you're had before the exam to not "wash out" the knowledge.
I also don't know if it's something specifically Russian, but a blue bird (a bird of such colour doesn't exist in Russia) is said to symbolise lack.
It wasn't lucky for the rabbit....
Thanks!
Thanks for the great video! I bought the Nanaimo Bear and am excited for it to arrive!
This is absolutely 1 of my favorite pages and JJ being 1 of my favorite content creators. It's ALWAYS something interesting that you wouldn't necessarily expect to learn about. Always so informative and NEVER boring or dragging. I reside in Massachusetts so it's not a Canadian thing. Though I am French-Canadian and always get a good snicker when JJ roasts that part of Canada. Keep up the great work bro, much love from the USA!
The Heart at 10:37 - The catholic use of the heart shape (1500s) actually postdates its use on heraldry, coats of arms (1200s), and on playing cards (1400s). We actually have no idea; one theory is that some ancient medical textbook described it as shaped like that, another that it's a stylized ivy leaf (symbol of fidelity, because it clings) and people showed lovers offering ivy-shaped hearts, another that it's yonic.
But there's an even simpler reason people assumed the heart was the seat of emotion: when you're really sad, the heart is where your brain registers physical pain. It's actually doing that because it doesn't understand what part of you is in pain, but assumes some place HAS to be. So it picks the heart. Wild, huh?
It's not JUST the seat of emotions, in ancient times it was considered the seat of thought as well, more like the entire mind. In the bible wisdom is associated with the heart, and ancient egyptians, who preserved the dead's organs in canopy jars, thought the heart was weighed against a feather to check whether a person was considered good or bad, but discarded the brain as junk...
The heart symbol as we know it may have first appeared on roman coins as a representation of the seed pod of the silphium plant, an absurdly popular herb in Rome for cooking and medicine that was consumed into extinction. It may have had associations with love and sex particularly due to its use as a contraceptive
It never ceases to amuse me, JJs usage of arcade sounds for his conceptual sound effects among his many other editing styles & choices. Like when this video cuts to the Ottoman Empire flag for example... I cannot recognize it & so I am not sure if that is a specific|famous, a royalty free, or a commissioned score, but either way I love the idea of adding different 8 bit arcade RPG themes behind the editing especially in certain cases like the Ottoman Empire section of this video. + The squeaky sound of a marker when circling things in his videos to highlight his points. Oh, & his opening credits of course, cannot forget that! The quick, subtle, half a second of 8 bit bells or whatever they are over a big yellow title card with the big, bold, & black 'J.J.' to initiate the official start of his videos after the prologues. - I love it. I have been hooked since day 1 & I appreciate it immensely! I guess I have never thought about mentioning it before & idk if anyone has ever complimented the stylistic genius of this channel or not [I would assume so by now, surely], but after finding myself rather amused once again, I felt it high time to sing my praises! lol
Kudos, ol Chap!
& Thank you for your continued contributions!
It’s nice that someone notices these little things!
@@JJMcCullough The mere fact that you actually read that mini novella of a comment that I wrote, shows your dedication! - Expressing my appreciation is the absolute least I can do. - You may be a professional commentator of the cultural canon that surrounds us all, but u do hav your own quirks within this growing community, which I have noticed myself lol & I love every lil bit of it! [How long til u start becoming meta? That is the question] 🤔
My Lucky charms as a 1973 kid had pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers, and blue diamonds. I distinctly remember the campaign to reveal the new marshmallow "and purple horseshoes!" in 1983. Then later "red balloons" in 1989. These seem like the core line-up before they really went crazy, combining colours and phasing out old marbits in favour of flashy overdone new ones...
You didn't have blue diamonds in 1973. They were added in the late seventies. I remember their being added; I was too young to be in school yet at the time, but it was definitely later than 1973.
@jonadabtheunsightly I didn't say they were there in 1973. I was born in 1973 so I was probably eating lucky charms in the early 80s...
Loved the arts and crafts portion. 😀
In the nomadic Tuareg tribe of the Sahara desert, silver is a sacred metal and gold is normally considered unlucky
Actually, a more key reason Nena had 99 red balloons in her song was because she needed an extra syllable. In the original song, which was german, the phrase "Neun und neunzig luftballons" was used, which is "Ninety-nine Balloons" in english, or translated literally "Nine and ninety air balloons". Since the german system of numbers adds the second digit onto the multiple of ten, and balloons are referred to with the compound noun "luftballons" the german version of the line was a decent bit longer. So, in the english transliteration of the song, they added in the detail that balloons were red, in order to help pick up some of that slack.
We also had a horseshoe at our house and my grandmother would say you needed it with the tines pointing up so the luck wouldn't run out :) Also with a middle name like Patrick and last name O'Keefe, many of the Irish iconography played a significant role in my childhood. But the red balloon... That was a head scratcher when it came out in '89 :). I always remember the catch phrase "Frosted Lucky Charms, they're magically delicious", which of course was enough for me as a child to wildly crave XD. Thanks for this as always JJ, Happy Saturday everyone!
Stunning journalism yet again JJ, thank you for your service
I really love his reluctance and snarky "and they're not wrong"
Love these types of videos. No one does historical/cultural videos quite like this. And I feel good watching them knowing JJ (although certainly not 100% accurate (but way more than most!!!)) is well researched and not just a flood of fast internet facts.
Personally, I've always loved the idea that finding and pucking up a penny is lucky. I don't know how local this is to me but at least in Wales there's a short rhyme that some people sing when someone finds a penny: "find a penny, pick it up, all day long, you'll have good luck"
I live in Indiana in the USA and I learned the same rhyme growing up here.
I’m in Oklahoma and we did that growing up in the 1990’s
Smashed that Like. This is quality Canadian content.
Very interesting, especially the balloon. In Norway I'm pretty sure the default color of the balloon is blue, it's because of an old song called "Jeg vil ha en blå ballong".
My favorite cereal and favorite commentator combined! Good start to my day!
Here in Germany, chimney sweeps are among the most common symbols for luck. That has very likely a quite pragmatic origin though, simply because of the fact, that when a chimney sweep was regularly taking care of your chimney, you're going to be "lucky" in a way, so that your house is going to be safe from fire. Which has of course nothing to do with the magic properties of a chimney sweep as such and everything to do with their work. It is a quite common new year's gift, to give somebody a little pot with 4 leafed clovers (you can by a specific breed of clovers, where a they have all 4 leafs), a little figure of a chimney sweep put on top and a little figure of a fly agaric mushroom (which is also next to the chimney sweep and the clovers on of the canon symbols for good luck)
I heard storks were considered lucky in Germany (and Poland, and possibly elsewhere in northern Europe). Is that in general or just if they nest nearby?
@@NathanMN Generally speaking, there's a ton of small towns and villages, who will put a ready to use nest on top of the roof of the town's church or city hall, in the hope, the town will have "their" stork couple. My hometown as well. Local news will report, when there's a stork on the roof of the local church, there's a "stork friendship club", who are lobbying to keep the "stork meadows", which is an empty field next to an industrial zone, where supposedly storks will regularly go to rest or search for food, free from urban or industrial development.
Storks are more than just a "lucky charm" here, people feel quite deeply about them.
Btw, I'm not in northern europe, I come from the south western tip of Germany. We are next to the Burgundy region in France to the west and Milan to the south is the next city with over 1 million inhabitants. Paris is also closer than Berlin, or any other german city over 1 million
@@martinbruhn5274 Thank you. Half my ancestry comes from the part of Prussia now in Poland: 3/8 from East Prussia and 1/8 from Pomerania and Posen. I got to visit those areas in 2008. Another 1/8 of my ancestry comes from Württemberg, which I'm going to visit on my next trip to Europe.
@@NathanMN Wow, that is absolutely meaningless. 100% of my ancestry comes from great apes, if you go back far enough
@@NathanMN Seriously, I don't know my ancestry as well as you seem to. I know who my grandparents are, and then sort of with some of my great grandparents, but not with all of them though. Also don't know where they come from, or where they were born. I also don't care
Wait, what about the hourglass marshmallows? The Lucky Charms jingle when I was growing up was
"Hearts, stars and horseshoes, clovers and blue moons;
Hourglasses, rainbows, and tasty red balloons."
Le Ballon Rouge is one of my favorite films of all time. I’ve always found it funny how the film was originally black and white, so the color of the balloon had to be specified in the title
Favorite UA-camr hands down!
In my multiverse, the *Berestein* Bears were giving a *rabbit's foot* to the children after a visit to the dentist.
Thank you. Very entertaining, I always enjoy what you have to share.
🥰
I dont know if this was a broader national belief at the time or just one specific to his occupation but my great grandmother would talk about how her dad back on Crete (my great great grandfather) would collect food from the sea to sell on the local market ,and whenever he got an octopus if it wrapped around his wrist rather than his arm or hands that would mean some unexpected good fortune would happen to him or his family within a year. NO idea what the symbolism or thought process behind that was and it has always puzzled me
I have always known the song as “hearts, stars, and horseshoes. Clovers and blue moons. Hourglasses, rainbows and tasty red balloons.” I have never heard of this “pot of gold” version all throughout growing up in the early 2000s or now.
14:10 The Ottoman Empire got the symbol from the Eastern Roman Empire that preceded it. The star and crescent being a symbol of the Greek city of Byzantium (later renamed to Constantinople when it became the capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire) since Antiquity, being associated with the patron goddess of Byzantium, Hekate, who was also the goddess of the moon.
Spot on.
I learnt about the Fertile Crescent in history class in my first year at secondary school.
@@SethTheOrigin JJ commented to another person who said the same thing that this story is false
Yeah this legend isn’t considered credible by historians.
@@JJMcCullough Which part? I didn’t realise this was wrong !
I’m Cornish and you can buy Cornish pixies (or piskies) in a lot of tourist shops here. I myself have a brass 1920s one that I like to wear sometimes 😊
My hometown in California back in the 1920s, the Irish were the only people who were actively discriminated against. There were signs that said “no dogs or Irish.” So since my family was Irish, they couldn’t get work anywhere except as firemen and policemen. And guess who didn’t put out fires at those businesses that had the racist signs?
They were discriminate against so they got the good city jobs instead of having to be farm labor? Doesn't seem to make sense to me.
It was public service and no one else wanted to be firemen or policemen. It also wasn’t as glamorous a job as it seems now.
Ah, the days when victims of systemic racism _were_ the cops instead of being oppressed _by_ them.
I bet they still refused to hire black cops though.
That seems unethical
Another thing that I didn’t know I needed to know. Keep it up JJ!
I remember when I was a teen (so late 80s/early 90s) my sister and I took an online quiz (yes we were early netizens) that said what your personality type was based on what your favourite Lucky Charms marshmallow was. My sister kept teasing me for months when I picked my favourite: the oat bits. (Apparently this meant my personality was dull and boring, which wasn’t wrong …). Her nickname for me for years after was Oat Bit.
Totally agree. My mom used to get lucky charms and I would pick out all the marshmallows and eat the rest and she stopped buying it after awhile. I hated the weird taste and feel of them. But then I hate circus peanuts.
so what are the origins of the oat bit shapes?
12:47 Who put the butter in butterfly! Love that book. I would always ask those kinda pointless questions on why words were the way they were when I was a kid and my grandfather gave me it one year as a gift. Boom will always have a special place in my heart :’)
13:34 To me (in Germany) the upward open horseshoe always meas basicly the exact opposite. It catches all the bad luck falling down, while the good luck just falls by, onto you.
when jj uploads you know it's a good day
Thank you for making this video
Also, a red balloon is one of the objects in Goodnight Moon.
Ohh good one
i used to love circus peanuts as a kid. Something about the texture just made me want to continuously eat them for hours.
I can't be the only one who watched this and thought "Surely they just wanted easily identifiable symbols in basic colors like red, green, blue, etc. and there seems to be no categorical reason why these were chosen." I also just learned more about the Irish than I was expecting to learn even in a Lucky Charms video. :D
The "amateur sketch" of the leprechaun is an old UA-cam deep cut that I can appreciate!
I grew up with pink hearts, green clovers, yellow moons, and orange stars. When they added blue diamonds it was so shocking to me. So new and... blue! Then they just starting changing them all the time. Seventies kids remember though.
Yes! Pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers, blue diamonds, then later purple horseshoes and red balloons. Rainbows came even later than that. The cereal pieces have some weird shapes, too.
I remember. It was such a YUGE deal in the mid-1970s that Lucky Charms was getting a *FIFTH MARSHMALLOW* added. I made sure we had some for our camping trip that summer.
I just commented this!
I remember when they added the red balloon. As a child of the 80s a lot of my culture was based on blind consumerism. You needed to help find lucky by naming the original shapes. I got a letter back saying I did it correctly. Was pretty stoked
I remember: pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers and blue diamonds. They were magically delicious!!!
So do I. Then I remember the eventual addition of purple horseshoes before they changed up the colors and increased the number of marshmallow types.
Delightful description of the symbols. Particularly considering how seemingly polarizing some of the history of these symbols have ie. Religions, stereotypes
Interesting! I was told in my childhood that the heart shape originates from the shape of the leaves of ivy, as it was seen as a good symbol.
Also, you could’ve mentioned horseshoe throwing, which is another sometimes somewhat luck-based thing associated with horseshoes.
Over 17 minutes of JJ? It's a good day.
Growing up, I always heard that a blue moon was the second full moon in a given (Gregorian) month (for example, if you have a full moon on January 2nd and then again on January 29th, the second one is a blue moon). I grew up around Pittsburgh but I believe I heard that particular explanation from relatives in Ohio. I have no idea how common it is though.
The Mobile Alabama Leprechaun reference got a good laugh out of me. Great video, JJ.
I always heard the luck of the Irish was intended ironically, since horrific things kept happening to them.
Saw the French Red Balloon movie in 4th grade. Loved it!
In Italy ladybugs are associated with good fortune, because if one touches you, it is said to be a sign of future luck. This is in return very lucky for ladybugs, since are one of the few inserts almost everyone can at least tolerate.
Another very famous lucky symbol here, in particular from Naples, is the cornetto (little horn), a red thing witg the shape of a chilli pepper that it's often sold as a key chain.
Also related to horns, there's the "horn gesture". It's very similar ti the gesture typically associated with rock music. This symbol can have many different meaning tho: in some cases it's a luck symbol, sometimes it's specifically done to avoid bad luck, other times it can be an offensive gesture and it can also indicate a person that is cheated on (she/he's "horned")
people kind of say the same thing about butterflies but if one lands on you, it means you're at peace rather than luck. I live in middle US and there's quite a lot of ladybugs so it's just slightly more uncommon for a ladybug to land on you than a fly.
Loved this video!
He's saving the canadian UA-cam but First Lucky Charms YAAAAY
Man can talk about anything and I'll be hooked
In Ireland you can only buy Lucky Charms at American-style sweet shops. My first ever bowl was a life changing experience.