1933
1945
From the Birth of The Nutritious Bisco to the End of World War II
The first Glico neon sign lights up the Dotonbori River
On the heels of Glico’s success, Ri-ichi expanded his business and upgraded his production system. He commercialized Bisco, a cream sandwich biscuit with yeast, which he had long planned as his second nutritional confection after Glico. In developing Bisco, Ri-ichi devised an innovative procedure of adding palm oil to dairy cream, which could then adhere to the dough without heating and thereby protect the heat-sensitive yeast. And as with Glico, his product launch was creative, with an imaginative name and a character to go with the product, Bisco Boy.
Due to global economic conditions, Japan saw a series of economic downturns in the early Showa Era. Over time, an alarming sense of helplessness began to pervade society. But despite the daunting business conditions, Ri-ichi didn’t give up hope. He placed short advertisements, 3.3 centimeters square, with the Glico logo, simple ad text, and illustrations, in newspapers, and installed neon signs near Tokyo’s Asakusa Kaminarimon Gate, Kobe’s Shinkaichi district, Osaka’s Dotonbori area, and other locations. To raise the average age of Glico purchasers, he worked to improve performance by launching new sales promotion measures. For example, buyers could collect multiple proof of purchase slips in the product package and exchange them for various prizes.
Prewar sales of Glico peaked in 1940, and Bisco sales grew steadily as well. However, as wartime restrictions strengthened and regulations proliferated, the company found its management adversely affected.
The Pacific War broke out in December 1941. First Bisco, then Glico were discontinued, and the company survived by producing sugar-coated confections, as well as dry bread for the military. But the war went inexorably against Japan, and soon nowhere in the country was safe from air raids.
Shortly before the war ended in August 1945, the company’s factories in Osaka and Tokyo were heavily damaged in bombings. Twenty-three years after founding Ezaki Glico, Ri-ichi, 62, lost all of his assets in Japan and abroad. Only the cafeteria at the Osaka factory miraculously survived.
Shortly before the war ended in August 1945, the company’s factories in Osaka and Tokyo were heavily damaged in bombings. Twenty-three years after founding Ezaki Glico, Ri-ichi, 62, lost all of his assets in Japan and abroad. Only the cafeteria at the Osaka factory miraculously survived.
