Dark Horse's Domo Dreams

Looks can be deceiving! Domo—or Domo-kun, as he is known in Japan, where he has been the wildly popular stop-motion mascot of broadcaster NHK since 1998—is a cave-dwelling creature with big teeth … but an even bigger heart.

As his fan base has grown overseas and online in recent years (leading to countless deals for consumer products in Asia and Europe), finally the cuddly carnivore arrives in full force in the U.S. this year.

New Domo plush is already at retail from master toy licensee Play Along, Deerfield Beach, Fla., with figures, keychains and feature plush due in the spring. And taking the brand one step further, additional items from eclectic collectibles creator Dark Horse Comics, Milwaukie, Ore., will debut at specialty soon.

“Who can resist a lovable furball with razor sharp teeth?” David Scroggy, vice president of product development for Dark Horse, tells Playthings. “The juxtaposition of terminal cuteness with unbridled savagery is kind of special, don't you think?” The character is an ideal addition to Dark Horse's eclectic mix of properties, Scroggy adds, noting, “Domo is unique, creative, entertaining and of high-quality.”

Both Play Along and Dark Horse—as well as those licensees in numerous other categories already signed by Domo's U.S. rep Big Tent Entertainment—hope to ride a wave of popularity once kids discover Domo on Nickelodeon, which will soon begin airing 26 new two-minute interstitials. And for Dark Horse, there's added potential of sales to a broader marketplace outside its traditional collector channels, Scroggy says.

“We have noticed this property for a while,” he says. “Dark Horse probably has spent more time than most traditional American comics publishers looking at Japanese material, which is reflected in our extensive manga program. However, in this case, we became aware of the licensing opportunity through the efforts of Stella Bella's Isabel Miller [former executive vice president at the Jim Henson Co.], who was assisting Big Tent in identifying key licensees for Domo.”

Five new products, which will debut in April and are available for pre-order on Darkhorse.com, include a journal decorated with a color photograph of Domo in a field of flowers, a self-mailing stationery set, a sculpted magnet, an embroidered patch and a die-cut journal with a flocked, furry surface. And debuting in May is a limited edition 8.5-inch vinyl figure, also with a flocked surface, that Scroggy calls “the centerpiece of the program.” In addition, Dark Horse plans white, pink and blue variants of the figure in even more limited editions. According to Scroggy, “We are the only licensee who will create Domo in a color other than brown, so we think these will be sought after.”