Domo (NHK)

Domo (Japanese: どーも くん, Hepburn: Dōmo-kun) is the official mascot of Japan's public broadcaster NHK, appearing in several 30-second stop-motion interstitial sketches shown as station identification during shows.

Name

Domo-kun first appeared in short stop-motion sketches on December 22, 1998 to mark the 10th anniversary of NHK's satellite broadcasting. The name "Domo" was acquired during the second episode of his show, in which a TV announcer said "dōmo, konnichiwa" (どーも、こんにちは), which is a greeting that can be translated as "Well, hello there!", but which can also be interpreted as "Hello, Domo", and thus is a convenient pun (dajare). The kun suffix on "Domo-kun", the name used to describe the character in the Japanese versions, is a Japanese honorific often used with young males.

Development

Tsuneo Gōda directs Domo episodes using stop motion animation. Gōda says that, by using this process, one can "create a work filled with feeling".

Characters

Domo, the main character, is a brown, furry and oviparous monster with a large, sawtoothed mouth that is locked wide open. His favorite food is nikujaga, a Japanese meat and potato stew, and he strongly detests apples for an unknown genetic reason. According to a Tokyopop press release of the Domo comic book, Domo "communicates sotto voce with a verve that only his friends can understand." Clint Bickham, the writer of the Domo comic book, said that to him Domo's expression is "a sort of cheery wonderment. Like when a kid wakes to a room full of presents on Christmas day." While Domo's face has variants, to Bickham most of his expressions have "an underlying sense of fascination." Domo is known to pass gas repeatedly when nervous or upset. He also sweats when nervous.