Cocorico (comedy duo)

Cocorico
Japanese name:	ココリコ
Romaji:	Kokoriko
Formed:	1992
Company:	Yoshimoto Kōgyō
Tsukkomi:	Shōzō Endō
Boke:	Naoki Tanaka

Cocorico (ココリコ, Kokoriko^?), also romanized as Coq au Rico, is a Japanese comedy duo (kombi) consisting of Shōzō Endō (遠藤 章造, Endō Shōzō^?) and Naoki Tanaka (田中 直樹, Tanaka Naoki^?). They are best known for making up the cast of the popular and long-running variety show, Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!.

It is unclear whether Cocorico or Coq au Rico is the official romanization when referring to the kombi. While "cocorico" is the correct French spelling, their namesake spells it "coq au rico." The former is the romanization most often used in the English-speaking fandom.^{[citation needed]}

Members

• Shōzō Endō Born July 13, 1971 in Toyonaka, Osaka. Plays the tsukkomi. Married tarento Chiaki in 2002, but divorced in late 2007. Has one daughter, Iroha, born in 2003. Friends with Naoki Tanaka.

• Naoki Tanaka Born April 26, 1971 in Toyonaka, Osaka. Plays the boke but is the leader, and writes all of their material. Married actress Shie Kohinata in 2003 and has two sons, born in 2004 and 2008.

History

Both born in 1971 and raised in Toyonaka, Osaka, they formed in 1992 at Yoshimoto Kōgyō when Endō quit his mundane job as a salaryman and invited his childhood friend Tanaka to join him as a duo. They named themselves after a cafe in Osaka called "Coq au Rico," a variant spelling of the French onomatopoeia for the crowing sound a rooster makes. Their name at first was "Cocorico Bombers," until they were advised to shorten it.

Cocorico's subtle humor went unappreciated by most comedians, until it caught the attention of Hitoshi Matsumoto of the comedy duo Downtown. In 1997, they became regular members of the show Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, where they made their big break.

Hosted Shows

Present

• Ikinari! Ōgon Densetsu (いきなり!黄金伝説。) (TV Asahi, since 1998)

Past

• Cocorico Miracle Type (ココリコミラクルタイプ) (Fuji Television, 2001-2007)
• Fujiriko (フジリコ) (Nippon Television, 1999-2002)
• Cocorico Million Kazoku (ココリコミリオン家族) (TV Tokyo, 2006-2008)
• Otoriko! (音リコ!) (Nippon Television, 2007-2008)

External links

• (Japanese)Fandango profile on Cocorico
• (Japanese)Cocorico Million Family official site
• (Japanese)Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! official site