I think I'm turning Japanese

I have previously posted about my introduction to the most dangerous drug in the world, better known as "little boxes of joy". Well, in addition to them being a gripping addiction, they may also prove to be a gateway drug.

In mid-April, I made a visit to the crack den known as Sugoi Life in the Northridge Fashion Center in the San Fernando Valley. They had a fairly extensive selection of little boxes of joy, but that wasn't all they had. They also had all manner of other cute and interesting stuff that I had to look at and try really hard not to buy. I managed, to some extent.

But then I saw this t-shirt.



I had no idea who or what Tofu Robot was, but I didn't care. They didn't even have my size, only a t-shirt that was at least one size too big for me, but I still didn't care. I had to have it. I love tofu, and I love robots, and he was just the funniest/cutest thing. And come on, how can you go wrong with "soy power"? Tofu Robot apparently comes in several different incarnations. The one I got above is green and is labeled extra firm. There's also a blue one (that might be firm - I can't remember) and a pink one (that's soft). There are also some other oddly-colored ones that I don't really get. And Tofu Robot is involved in various activities as well, including surfing and being born.

There appear to be vinyl toy versions of Tofu Robot, but what I'd really like is a Lego-type version, which I think would be cool. I've seen pictures of what looks like a pvc-version, and that might be ok, but I'd have to see it in person.

There was another thing that I wanted, but it wasn't my own willpower that stopped me. I saw another t-shirt with the cutest design, but in this case, the t-shirt was at least one size, if not two, too small for me. That, I can't do anything about, so I didn't buy that one. The character is Yesterdeer, who can be seen on this sock product. The design on the sock doesn't really do the design justice though. It was that little deer, but it was riding a scooter, and I think it had a helmet, and it might have been riding over a patch of grass. The deer looked a bit like cutie Bambi to some extent. I had found the t-shirt on Spicy Brown's website soon after I'd seen the shirt at the store, but it has subsequently been taken off the website, and I can't find a picture anywhere on the net of it. Again, I have no idea what or why it is - it's just cute. And sometimes, there is no why. That's like asking why Vogon poetry is bad or why the Log Lady carries a log. It just is and she just does, otherwise, she wouldn't be the Log Lady.

Oh, and for the record, on that particular shopping trip, I bought 9 little boxes of joy. And no, that doesn't include the display case. And I added 2 more litle boxes of joy to the collection this past Saturday. But still no duplicates yet.


Then last week, I dropped by a mall near work that I hadn't been to in a while, so it was the first time I'd noticed that a new store was open - a Japanese anime store. And I went in and had a browse. And I wasn't interested in most things because generally, anime isn't my thing. But then I saw this. And I was intrigued. He was cute. Odd. Different. Calling my name. And then I read what the little tag said.

Domo - Who is this mysterious creature that was hatched from an egg? Upon closer inspection we see that his monster-like features conceal a gentle soul with a body of pure fluff. Domo just can't stop watching television. Is this a problem? Perhaps it is if you're already a messy creature whose daydreams often lead to disasters.

After that, you know I had to have it, right?

I have since learned a little more about Domo. I don't know about the "hatched from an egg" thing, but he was apparently adopted/taken in by a rabbit that liked to watch TV, so that's where he got that habit from. Oh, wait, here's a more detailed background on Domo's arrival. The first blurb on this story talks a little about Domo's origins as well as the broadcast of episodes featuring Domo. Then this article mentions that episodes will be shown on Nickelodeon in early 2008 (they may already be showing by now). Since we don't have cable, I'll just hope they're eventually released on DVD that I can see. This website was written on the tag, and I haven't had a chance to look around too much, but it sure looks interesting. They appear to have videos there, so maybe those are some of the episodes.




Here's a t-shirt with Domo on it. I laughed at the little description/background of Domo that's included on that page!


So this Saturday, I'm embarking on a very dangerous endeavour. I will be taking a jaunt into J-town with a friend, in search of little boxes of joy (mostly in search of these), Tofu Robot, Yesterdeer, Domo and other cute and interesting things whose existence I may not even be aware of yet.

I know, it's a dangerous mission, but someone has to do it.