Doraemon is one the most celebrated and loved cartoon character in Japan.  This Japanese manga series was created by Fujiko F. Fujio in 1969 and was made into an anime series in 1973.  So far, Doraemon’s popularity shows no signs of dimishing.  In March 2008, Doraemon was appointed by the Japanese Foreign Ministry of tourism as the “anime ambassador.”  (Please read our previous blog entry “More Manga Characters to Join the Government“).  A lot about Doraemon is already known and is even considered as common sense.  Everybody knows how his fear for mice turned him blue from yellow (literally), how his feet are actually hovering and not touching the ground, and that his favorite food is Dorayaki.  But, did you know there is a mysterious association with him and the number 129.3?

Date of manufacture: September 3, 2112 (12/9/3)
Height: 129.3 cm
Weight: 129.3 kg
Width of his chest: 129.3 cm
Length of his leg: 129.3 mm
Maximum power output: 129.3 bhp
Maximum height he can jump when he sees a mouse: 129.3 m
Maximum speed at which he runs away from a mouse: 129.3 km/h

The number 129.3 is from the average height (in centimeters) of Japanese children in the 4th grade in 1969.  This is significant for two reasons.  First, 1969 is the year Doraemon was created by Mr. Fujiko.  Second, and perhaps more imporantly, Nobita first met Doraemon when he was in the 4th grade (hence the significance of the height of the average 4th grader).  Nobita is Sewashi’s (Doraemon’s owner) great-great-grandfather.  This is because Doraemon was sent from the future to help Nobita improve his life so that he could enjoy a better future.  Mr. Fujiko wanted to create a close friendship between Nobita and Doraemon, so he chose Doraemon’s height (and the number 129.3 for other specifications) to give them many things to relate to.

Reference: Wikipedia

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So, here’s my very first animation I made using Adobe Photoshop and Image Ready.  Check it out yo! *animation is in .gif format. May not be viewable depending on your browser or viewing application.

btw, the Doraemon bread was really good!

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In one of our previous blog entries, we wrote about “Hello Kitty” being elected as the ambassador of tourism to represent Japan in Hong Kong and China (check out our blog entry “Hello Kitty, the ambassador“). This bold move paved the way for other manga characters to participate in the Japanese government. Please welcome Japanese ambassadors: Doraemon and Astroboy!!!

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura appointed Doraemon, the “ambassador of anime,” and told him, “Doraemon, I hope you will travel around the world as an anime ambassador to deepen people’s understanding of Japan so they will become friends with Japan.” Doraemon, through voice actress Wasabi Mizuta, replied “through my cartoons, I hope to convey to people abroad what ordinary Japanese people think, our lifestyles and what kind of future we want to build.”

Astro Boy, another cartoon icon, was named in November as the ambassador of overseas safety.

SOURCE: MNBC

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