Background

The mascot of Japan’s NHK television station is the little brown creature that was hatched from an egg – Domo (or Domo-kun).   He’s one of the few internationally known characters…up there with Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, etc.

Following the success of their 8” tall flocked Domo line, Dark Horse decided to release a slightly shorter (5.5”) Domo figure.  There are currently 10 various colorways of the smaller flocked vinyl piece.  For purposes of this review, we are looking at the Grass Green version.

Packaging

The 5.5” Domo is packaged similar to the 8” Domo line.  The window-front box has photos of the Domo character (not the actual toy) on the side and rear panels.  There aren’t many details about the figure, but Domo is fairly well known.  Inside, the Domo vinyl is contained in dual plastic trays.

The Figure

The 5.5” Domo figure is made of flocked rotocast vinyl (so it feels fuzzy).  It has two points of articulation (the arms).  We are looking at the Grass Green colorway, which is limited to 500 pieces and made exclusively for international distribution. 

The other colorways are: Polar White, Earl Grey, Olive Green, Ruby Red, Classic Brown, Lime Green, Sky Blue, True Yellow and Orange.

Our Opinion

The 8” Flocked Domo was released early this year, and there haven’t been any changes from that version…except for the size.  And while I usually favor larger figures over their diminutive counterparts, I think the shorter version of Domo wins this battle.

If I were looking to make a few improvements to the figure, I’d start with the seam that is visible near Domo’s legs.  Having a seam there isn’t awful, but it would be better if it hit both legs at the same spot (i.e. symmetrical).  Also, I think the eyes should be raised a little more.

Putting the above critique aside, I still think it’s a fun little figure.  There are a ton of colorways (a ton = 10) to choose from.  And the new size fits this character a little better.  It’s a fairly simple figure:  a set of eyes and a mouth.  So having a huge sculpt doesn’t really bring much more detail to the table.  That’s why I think this is the perfect size for the Domo line.

You can pick one up at the following:

Kawaii UK: Classic Brown, Olive Green, Ruby Red, Earl Grey and Polar White - £19.99 ea.

5.5" Grass Green Flocked Domo Grades:

Quality: 7/10
Paint: 7/10
Packaging: 7/10
Durability: 9/10
Hype: 8/10
Fun Factor: 8/10
Value: 7/10

Overall: 8.7/10

Have this figure?  What do you rate it?

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