“Ringo sutta.” / 「りんご、すった。」
“TAKARA ‘SURIOROSHI RINGO’ × RINGO STARR” (1996) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B3 NAKAZURI (TRAIN HANGING) ADVERTISING POSTER – “RINGO SUTTA / りんごすった” CAMPAIGN (RAIL DISPLAY / 非売品)
Ultra Rare | In-Train/Subway Hanging Ad | Non-Retail Advertising Issue | Japan-Only 1996 Campaign | Approx. 36.4 × 51.5 cm / B3
This is an original Japanese B3 nakazuri advertising poster produced for TaKaRa / Takara Shuzo’s 1996 campaign for すりおろしりんご / Surioroshi Ringo, a grated-apple soft drink, starring Ringo Starr. This is not a concert poster, Beatles record-store poster, or music-industry promotional sheet. It is a Japan-only beverage advertisement from one of the most memorable celebrity wordplay campaigns of the 1990s.
The pun — Ringo Starr / りんごすった
The significance of this poster lies in the joke. In Japanese, ringo means apple, while りんごすった / ringo sutta means “I grated an apple.” Spoken aloud, the phrase sounds strikingly close to Ringo Starr. Takara built the campaign around this phonetic joke, turning a simple product name into a celebrity-driven visual gag. The large red lettering on the poster plays directly on this pun, reading as “リンゴ スッター” while visually echoing Ringo Starr, with a star motif worked into the typography.
Poster design — what you see here
A vivid yellow field fills the entire composition, with Ringo Starr shown in a matching yellow shirt, holding the red すりおろしりんご can. The bold monochrome colour scheme gives the poster immediate impact in a crowded train carriage, while the red typographic block on the right delivers the campaign’s central joke at large scale.
On the left side, the poster announces 新発売 / New Release and promotes the green-apple variant, すりおろし青りんご, with the vertical copy すっきり、さっぱり青りんご — “crisp, refreshing green apple.” The familiar TaKaRa logo appears at upper right, while the upper-left slogan reads think health / からだにやさしい. The lower product copy includes period can sizes and pricing, giving the sheet strong commercial and archival value.
The campaign — Japanese pop culture, celebrity advertising & wordplay
This poster belongs to Takara’s celebrated “Ringo Sutta” campaign, in which the product’s name and Ringo Starr’s stage name were linked through one of the great puns of 1990s Japanese advertising. The result is a highly distinctive cross-collectible: Beatles memorabilia, Japanese advertising design, 1990s beverage branding, and commuter-rail ephemera in a single object.
Unlike standard music posters, this was created for public transport display, not retail sale. Its appeal rests not only on the presence of Ringo Starr, but on the specifically Japanese linguistic humour that made the campaign memorable.
About the nakazuri format — B3 & rarity
Nakazuri are ceiling-hung advertising posters displayed inside Japanese commuter trains and subway cars. The standard single-panel format is B3, approximately 36.4 × 51.5 cm. These posters were made for short-term rail display, changed frequently, and generally discarded after use. They were not sold to the public.
This makes surviving examples especially difficult to find. A B3 nakazuri from a high-profile celebrity campaign is far rarer than a conventional shop poster or magazine advertisement. The format was inherently temporary, functional, and disposable — precisely why original surviving examples have become so desirable to collectors.
Why this example is extraordinary
This is an ultra-rare original B3 train-hanging poster from Takara’s 1996 Surioroshi Ringo × Ringo Starr campaign. It combines a world-famous musician, a distinctly Japanese advertising pun, bold 1990s commercial design, and the highly fragile nakazuri format. For collectors of The Beatles, Ringo Starr, Japanese advertising, 1990s pop culture, or transport ephemera, this is an exceptional and highly unusual piece.
Condition
Good vintage/display condition. Previously folded, with a prominent vertical fold line running through the poster. There are tiny pinholes from previous transit display. Colours remain strong, and the main image, product artwork, Takara branding, and campaign typography are complete. Please review the detailed images carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale. Once framed, this poster will display very well.
It is over 30 years old.
It is not a modern reproduction or reprint.
Printed name/credit only — not hand-signed.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
A rare and highly evocative 1996 TaKaRa “Surioroshi Ringo” × Ringo Starr B3 nakazuri — a non-retail Japanese rail-advertising survivor from the celebrated “Ringo Sutta” campaign, and an outstanding object at the intersection of Beatles history, Japanese wordplay, 1990s beverage branding, and commuter-train advertising culture.
