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A rabid fan base has helped propel NHK’s
mascot Domo to superstar status with
a multi-million dollar global licensing
program and an upcoming TV series
More than mascots
From Domo to Doki, broadcaster mascots are evolving
well beyond channel idents and interstitials, into longform
series and global licensing stars
BY JEREMY DICKSON
When Michigan J. Frog made his TV debut
in the 1955 Looney Tunes cartoon
One Froggy Evening, could he ever have
imagined he would become the mascot
of The WB network 40 years later,
hold the role for 10 years, and see his
likeness adorning t-shirts and coffee mugs? Sadly, we’ll
never know, because the top-hat-wearing amphibian was
retired in 2005 after the net claimed he skewed too young
for its YA target.
There is no denying Michigan experienced a successful
rebirth, but there are no guarantees for mascots, whether
they are born from existing series or an original idea. All
the pre-testing and strategizing in the world can’t predict
whether or not they’ll resonate with kids and parents immediately,
over time, or at all.
For example, who knew Domo, first seen in stop-motion
interstitials, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Japanbased
NHK’s satellite broadcasting in 1998, would go on to
become one of the internet’s first memes and a global pop
culture icon? Even Discovery Kids Latin America, which purposely
created its explorer boy/dog character Doki to be the
face of the channel in 2005, failed to envision how successful
he would become.
Fortunately for Domo and Doki, their IP owners and
partners have been quick to take advantage of the right
opportunities in today’s more socially connected, content-driven
world. They’ve managed to expand the characters’
environments and storylines authentically across
TV and gaming, grow consumer product programs and
perhaps ensure their longevity.
Brand connection
When Discovery Kids Latin America hired Argentinean
design studio Steinbranding to help the 24-hour preschool
channel create a character that would represent
curiosity, real-life experiences, exploration, playfulness
May/June 2013
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