In popular culture
From 1996 to 2006, a 60 ft Nissin Cup Noodle sign was installed in Times Square, New York City. It was located prominently near the top of the One Times Square building, the location of the Times Square Ball drop on New Year's Eve. The sign was the most recent example in a tradition of steaming signs in Times Square, which started with an A&P 8 O'Clock Coffee cup in 1933.[7][8]
In 2006, a manga book was published about the invention of the cup noodle and the founder of the Nissin Cup Noodle brand, Project X: Nissin Cup Noodle by author Tadashi Katoh and artist Akira Imai (publisher: Digital Manga, ISBN 9781569709597). The book was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work in 2007.[9]
Cup Noodles are often seen in the 2012 video game Binary Domain, which is set in a futuristic version of Tokyo. It is commonly seen in billboards and advertisements throughout the city, and is even seen being eaten by some characters. Cup Noodles were also prominently featured as product placement in the 2016 video game Final Fantasy XV. This partnership also resulted in a crossover TV ad in Japan.[10]
The popularity of Cup Noodles has also resulted in the creation of a Cup Noodle Museum. The museum features displays on cup noodles and their founder, Momofuku Ando. The museum is located in both Yokohama and Osaka, Japan,[11] with the Museum also launched in Hong Kong following the stint on My Cup Noodles Factory at the Hong Kong International Airport.[12]
In 2018, Manpuku was broadcast in Japan. The television drama series documented Momofuku Ando and his wife Masako's lives, including the invention of instant noodles and cup noodles. It is the 99th Asadora series. It premiered on NHK on October 1, 2018, and concluded on March 30, 2019.
