HP Computers are “Maid in Japan”

Increasingly otaku culture encompassing everything from anime to Miku Hatsune to cosplay is becoming Japan’s mainstream culture, at least among anyone with an Internet connection and a Pixiv account. It’s always fun when companies get into the spirit of things, like when the Akihabara KFC dressed their Colonel Sanders statue in a maid’s costume, or when Microsoft commissioned an official anime character mascot for Windows 7. Now Hewlett-Packard is getting into the game, with its new “Maid In Tokyo” campaign featuring girls from the kawaii idol group “Idoling!!!” who give customers a maid cafe experience right in their web browser. Answer the correct quiz about HP’s products and the girls will make desktop wallpaper featuring a picture of a pancake with your name written in chocolate sauce, just like they do in Akihabara.

HP is embracing otaku culture with its “Maid in Tokyo” campaign.