How "Doraemon" has won the hearts of Thai people of all age groups
Among cartoons aired in Thailand on TV and online, Japanese animation "Doraemon" is the only one that has won the hearts of Thai people of all ages.
This cartoon is available on state-owned public broadcaster MCOT Pcl's TV programme featuring a variety of animation series running over the past 42 years since 1982.
The popularity among Thai people can be attributed to the author's ability to provide a piece of thought to audiences in each episode.
"Most cartoon audiences are children, but Doraemon is the only one which has audiences of all ages," said the company's acting president Phatiyuth Jaiswang during an exclusive interview.
He added that Doraemon had been awarded last year by Japanese language education promotion agency Hakuhodo Foundation for benefiting the learning of the Japanese language and culture.
MCOT is working on its running event "Doraemon RUN Thailand", scheduled to be launched this year in Bangkok, Chonburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phuket and Chiang Mai provinces. The first event is scheduled to kick off at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok on March 24.
Doraemon made his debut in 1970 as a character in a manga and anime series created by Fujiko F Fujio, the pen name of Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko.
It told the story of Nobita, a lazy but kind boy with a flawed personality.
Nobita is bullied at school and has poor grades – not helped by his tendency to nap when he should be working.
Meanwhile, Doraemon has a weakness for dorayaki pancakes but also a fear of the robotic mouse that ate his ears. Adding to the richness of this world are the secrets he keeps in the fourth-dimensional pocket in his belly. Inside is an endless variety of gadgets, a mix of household appliances and magical tools based on Japanese religious beliefs.
The official number of Doraemon’s gadgets is not known but it is estimated at around 4,500. He uses some of the items regularly, but others appear only once.
Fujio once claimed Doraemon has a total of 1,293 gadgets. However, Yasuyuki Yokoyama of Toyama University analysed the series in 2004 and found a total of 1,963 different gadgets in 1,344 storylines. The Doraemon Fan Club lists the number at 1,812.
