MLB Makes AR Manhole Covers for Its Japanese Stars

Shohei Ohtani and 9 more take it to the streets

Manhole covers are the new baseball cards!

Shohei Ohtani and nine other Japanese stars now playing for MLB teams appear in street-level, cast-iron formats—enhanced with AR—thanks to Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo.

Such street installations are tres trendy in Japan. These particular manholes will appear in locations special to each player (in their hometowns, near schools and ballparks, etc.)

Local artists created each cover. Through augmented reality elements, “visitors will be able to scan the manholes and unlock short films that share each player’s journey—from their earliest days in baseball to their rise to the Major Leagues,” a W+K rep says.

In a broader sense, the work combines cutting-edge tech with two traditions: baseball itself (stretching back some 200 years) and “manhole culture” (which has blossomed into a mania and potent Japanese tourist magnet).

Hey, I’ll trade you Masataka Yoshida for Kodai Senga. Lemme call a couple strong guys to help carry the load.