Broken Frontier

Japanese character Domo is taking the United States by storm. First appearing in the U.S. specialty marketplace as an import item, the fuzzy, sharp-toothed cartoon character has become quite visible as the star of a program of merchandise, food tie-ins, animation, apparel, and more.

Currently, Domo is the centerpiece of a chainwide promotion at 7-Eleven, with his own Slurpee flavor in collector cups. A component of this rollout is a group of four custom Domo Qee toys in unique packaging, including a Slurpee cup, and this assortment has flown off of shelves all over the country!

Hot on the heels of the first Domo Qee mystery-box series released this past summer, Dark Horse is proud to announce the arrival of the second mystery-box assortment. The first series, which offered sixteen different Domo designs, each in a small box that concealed the figure from the consumer until after purchase, was a sellout.

“This was Dark Horse’s first attempt at a mystery-box type of release,” product development head David Scroggy remarked, “and we are gratified by the response. We didn’t want to repeat ourselves, so we came up with a whole slate of brand-new designs for series two. It is an extension for those who bought into the first series, and a jumping-on point for newer fans.”

Dark Horse’s association with Domo, who is the mascot of Japanese television network NHK, began with limited-edition flocked vinyl figures. A set of these in 8-inch size was released initially and sold out. A followup 5.5-inch series received a similar response. Next is a new release of limited editions in 4-inch size, hitting stores this November.

One of the notable aspects of Dark Horse’s licensed Domo figures is the introduction of color variants, known to designer-toy collectors as “colorways.” Since the Domo character is brown in the source material, the Japanese property owners required some persuasion before they agreed to these variations. Given the response from the marketplace, the faith in Dark Horse’s ability to gauge the pulse of the modern pop-culture consumer seems justified.

In assessing the next step, it seemed logical to go still smaller with the new figures, making them similar to the 2.5-inch Qee size. It was a short step from there to bringing the two programs together with a set of Qee-style Domo toys in a variety of flocked colorways, mounted on a new blister-card packaging solution for individual sale.

The next wave of Dark Horse’s Domo Qee program arrives in stores this coming March.