Doraemon also has a large following among robotics researchers. Kids are not the only ones who pine for tools like these. One of the most fascinating aspects of Doraemon is his collection of over 1,800 "secret gadgets." Almost every child who watches the series is inspired by these devices, which include a tiny propeller that, when placed on his head, becomes a "personal copter" enabling him to fly a "wherever door" through which he can walk to wherever he wants to go and his famed four-dimensional pocket, which houses his endless assortment of gadgets. Doraemon has transcended books and television to become one of Japan's goodwill ambassadors, with initiatives like the Doraemon Education Fund in Vietnam and the Doraemon Fund-Raising Campaign to help provide relief to victims of the recent earthquake in Turkey. In 1992, it was shown in Russia as part of a joint Japan-Russia friendship and exchange program. The animation series made its overseas debut in Hong Kong in 1981, and has since been broadcast in numerous countries, including Italy, Brazil, and Singapore. In 1993, a pirated edition published in Vietnam proved popular, and when the official version was published in October 1998 it sold over 10 million copies and became a bestseller. The comic series is published officially in nine languages in 10 countries and regions, including South Korea, China, Thailand, and Spain. It was later revealed to be a hoax.ĭoraemon's popularity has been equally explosive overseas. Several years ago, a final episode to the Doraemon series was posted on the Internet and caused a great commotion all over Japan.
A new film is scheduled to be released in March 2000. There have been 1,700 episodes of the "Doraemon" animated television series, which began in 1979, and 21 "Doraemon" movies have drawn a total audience of close to 63 million. Today, from 1.5 million to 2 million copies are sold each year-and total sales of some 100 million make the series one of Japan's all-time bestsellers. Events in celebration of Doraemon's thirtieth birthday have been going on since 1999 and will continue throughout 2000.Īs of December 1999 forty-five volumes of the Doraemon comic series had been published, as well as 19 full-length books, which were the basis for the Doraemon movies. Then, by chance, he happened to see his eldest daughter playing with a doll shaped like a tumbler, and had a flash of inspiration: "How about drawing that doll's shape into the likeness of a cat?" And so was created Doraemon the robot, who has captured the hearts and inspired the dreams of children around the world ever since the start of the comic series bearing his name 30 years ago in December 1969. The previous month's issue of the magazine carrying the series had shown a preview of the new strip that offered no title or picture hinting at the story's feature character, only a drawing of its young boy partner, Nobita.