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I love Domo-kun.
Tecopa Jane loves Domo.
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I am embarrassed to admit that I have become a Domo-kun fanatic. I dislike cute, commercial, mass-produced products. I do not want what everyone else has. But when I saw Domo-kun -- the fuzzy, innocent, befuddled mascot of Tokyo television station NHK -- I said to myself, "Just what I always wanted . . . I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him and pat him and pet him and rub him and caress him." Apparently I was not alone -- besides schoolchildren (95% of Japanese kids know him), Domo-kun appeals greatly to artsy women aged 18 - 30. NHK is a public broadcaster in Japan. Between programs, they air bumpers -- or short films -- starring Domo-kun and his friends Usajii the rabbit and Ta-Chan the weasel. Domo-kun was hatched from an egg, and crash-landed in Usajii's bunny hole. Domo-kun loves television. Two bats -- mom Shinobu and child Morio -- live on Usajii's ceiling and act as the peanut gallery or Statler and Waldorf to the goings-on. Domo's sweetie Ta-Chan lives down the the street, as it were. The storylines are easily understood even without knowing Japanese, and they range from sweet and genuine to non-sequitur to post-modern/absurd (a person in a lifesize Domo-kun outfit dances with cheerleaders to a remixed version of Olivia Newton-John's Xanadu -- the funniest television I have seen). Unless you receive NHK via satellite, the best way to view the Domo-kun shorts is on the site maintained by Drew. There's lots of info about Domo-kun at Yul's page and Cardhouse too. I have accumulated oodles of Domo-kun product. (Much of it courtesy Mike in Japan, friend of Stan, reader of this site). Click here to begin the tour! be sure to see: Domo-kun visits the Museum of Jurassic Technology! |
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