Dekotora, Japanese Trucks

Note that Dekotora does not refer to vehicles used for advertisements, political campaigns or propaganda.
In 1976, Toei released the first entry in a series of 8 movies called Truck guys (トラック野郎, Torakku Shōnen) that featured as the protagonist a costumed trucker who drove his garishly decorated truck all over Japan. This movie was a big hit with both old and young, and caused a wave of Dekotora popularity to sweep the country. While Dekotoras were present throughout the 1970s, before the movie they were restricted to the north-eastern fishing transport trucks. It is possible that the movie was an attempt to popularise these kinds of trucks. In those days, ready-made parts for trucks were not easily available, so these trucks freely utilised parts from sightseeing buses or US military vehicles.