FOLLOWING its highly successful run in Kuala Lumpur early this year, the 100 Doraemon Secret Gadgets Expo will now be in Johor Baru from Aug 30 to Jan 4, next year, with an entirely new theme and additional scenes from the popular Japanese manga series.
The exhibition was previously held in Hong Kong, Beijing and Taiwan. Malaysia is the only country with two stops, due to overwhelming demand.
To be held at Johor Bahru City Square, it will feature 100 life-sized Doraemon figurines and its iconic gadgets — all set in scenes from the series. Fans can also check out the Dokodemo Door which allows one to travel anywhere simply by going through it, Take-Copter, a bamboo propeller and Time Machine.
The event ambassador is, once again, popular MyFM deejay and actor Jack Lim. Singing duo Fuying and Sam have also been appointed ambassadors. Lim says the magical aspect of the cat-robot figure is the reason why he continues to lend his support as ambassador.
“Many of us grew up watching Doraemon cartoon or reading the manga. It allows plenty of room for the imagination to run wild, especially among children where it encourages creative-thinking,” he says.
Its organiser, Steve Chow from Animation International (M) Sdn Bhd, is targeting more than 350,000 local and international visitors. “We are opening our doors to foreign visitors as well, especially those from Singapore. With new iconic scenery from the series itself, there will be more opportunities for fans to take photos at the coming exhibition. We are definitely expecting bigger crowds this time as it coincides with the year-end school holidays,” he says, adding that visitors at the show in KL surpassed their initial expectation of 300,000.
Created by a team of Japanese illustrators, Fujiko Fujio, Doraemon has been adapted into a successful anime series.Details at www.100Doraemon.com or @DoraemonMalaysia on LINE.
Event: 100 Doraemon Secret Gadget Expo
Tickets: RM25 and RM15 (children age 4 to 12). Free admission for children below 90cm tall, senior citizens (aged 60 and above) and OKU.
Tickets available at the ticketing booth of Johor Bahru City Square (level 1, in front of McDonalds) or from MyTicket Malaysia (www.myticket.my), MyDeal (www.mydeal.com.my) and MOLMoney Online (www.mol.com/my).