Doraemon made headlines after a plush toy of the character was used in a Thai ceremony to help avoid animal cruelty.
Amid record-high temperatures and a lack of rain across the country, residents of three villages in Nakhon Sawan province gathered in late April for a “rain-making” ritual.
As perThe Straits Times, the tradition calls for a cat to be paraded around affected areas, with its cry said to be a “harbinger of immediate rain.” However, hoping to avoid undue stress on an animal, locals used a plushy of Doraemon.
Due to no rain for several months in many areas of Thailand, a rain-making ceremony was held which requires the use of a cat.However the locals decided to use Doraemon instead — a modern twist against animal cruelty.And Thailand is taking this news very seriously.There…pic.twitter.com/3gg6FQbk3b
Doraemon is the most popular anime cat in the world. First introduced 1969 and created by the famed artist duo, Fujiko Fujio, he’s been winning the hearts of fans for decades, remaining a childhood staple even today.
However, while many have enjoyed the viral image of the Doraemon soft toy held in a cage — it’s been viewed more than 16 million times on X/Twitter — some people had a problem. The tradition, known as the Hae Nang Maew Ceremony, is reported to require a female cat. Doraemon is male, so critics asked that the locals used Dorami instead.
Dorami is Doraemon’s sister and comes from the future just like him. She often visits her brother and Nobita using the time machine.
“This was by far one of the silliest things I’ve read this morning… I do hope they get rain though… and don’t sacrifice real cats,” one userreacted. “Why not both Doraemon and Dorami. Either way it’s hilarious,” anotherwrote. “People on this platform underestimate how popular Doraemon is in Asia. Especially South and Southeast Asia,” a thirdposted.
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Anamika Das was an Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. She previously wrote for platforms like Otakus' Notes and Seinen Manga. Anamika is an avid fan of anime, the shounen genre in particular. She loves My Hero Academia, Haikyuu!!, Jujutsu Kaisen, Boruto, and is obsessed with One Piece.
