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Kids can now learn to code with Pocky, the delicious Japanese snack

Kids can now learn to code with Pocky, the delicious Japanese snack

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Snacking on knowledge

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Even if you didn't grow up in Asia, chances are you've had this ubiquitous Japanese snack before. Walk into most grocery stores in America and you'll find a box of Pocky, and in multiple flavors like strawberry and green tea if your supermarket is fancy.

With over dozens of flavors and variations, there's a Pocky for all occasions! There's a Pocky for Men. Now, there's Pocky for kids, with an educational aspect.

pocky

Pocky's maker, Glico, has made a game called Glicode (Like if Wilco made a coding game called Wilcode) that gets kids coding by having them arrange actual cookies and snacks, then snapping a photo to translate them into digital commands. Glico's other products like Almond Peak chocolates and Biscuit Cream Sands are also featured in the game, representing "if" and "sequence" commands, respectively.

It's a lot like Apple's Swift Playgrounds, with simple programming tasks commanding a funny-looking blob to walk around on platform blocks. The app is only available on Android for now.

pocky

Pocky's been a nostalgic childhood treat since the '60s, and it's pretty heartwarming to see a company that's been around for so long find a new way to appeal to modern generations. If this game had been around when I was a kid, maybe I'd be a coding genius by now. I'd also be a little portly from eating one too many Pockys, but that's a small price to pay to be fluent in code and a competitive player in the workforce.

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