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Square or cube watermelons are
Cube watermelons were intended to fit more compactly in fridges and their shape makes them easier to cut as they don't roll. They were invented by graphic designer 
YouTube video depicting square watermelons
Watermelons
Square or cube watermelons are watermelons
Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...
grown into the shape of a cube
In geometry, a cube is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. Viewed from a corner it is a hexagon and its net is usually depicted as a cross.
The cube is the only r ...
. Cube watermelons are commonly sold in Japan, where they are essentially ornamental and are often very expensive, with prices as high as .
Purpose and uses
Cube watermelons were intended to fit more compactly in fridges and their shape makes them easier to cut as they don't roll. They were invented by graphic designer Tomoyuki Ono
Tomoyuki is a masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Tomoyuki can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Some examples:
*友之, "friend, of"
*友幸, "friend, happiness"
*友行, "friend, go"
*友恭, "frie ...
in 1978. He presented the watermelons in a gallery in Ginza
Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo, with numerous intern ...
, Tokyo. He also applied for and received a patent in the United States.
The melons are grown in boxes and take the shape of the container, and they tend to appeal to wealthy or fashionable consumers. In 2001, square watermelons sold for in Japan (about ), two to three times the price of regular watermelons in Japanese stores. In the United States in 2014, some sold for $200.
Although cube melons were originally created with practicality in mind, the cost is prohibitive. The cube shape of the watermelon can only be achieved at the expense of its contents. To retain the proper shape, cube melons must be harvested before they are ripe, rendering them inedible.
Since the advent of the cube watermelon, other watermelon shapes have been introduced, such as hearts and pyramids. They are also available in other countries now, such as in Germany.
See also
*Bonsai Kitten
Bonsai Kitten was a hoax website that claimed to instruct readers how to raise a kitten in a jar, so as to mold the bones of the kitten into the shape of the jar as the cat grows in the same way as a bonsai plant. It was made by an MIT student go ...
* Unusually shaped fruits and vegetables
Unusually shaped fruits and vegetables have a shape not in line with its normal body plan. While some examples are just oddly shaped, others are heralded for their amusing appearance, often because they resemble a body part such as the buttocks or ...
* Gift economy
A gift economy or gift culture is a system of exchange where valuables are not sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards. Social norms and customs govern giving a gift in a gift culture; although there ...
References
{{reflistExternal links
YouTube video depicting square watermelons
Watermelons