Yotsuba&!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of ''Azumanga Daioh''. It has been serialized since March 2003 in the monthly magazine '' Dengeki Daioh'' by ASCII Media Works, formerly MediaWorks, and has ...
''. In the
ADV Manga
A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gree ...
English translation of the manga the name ''Cardbo'' was used, but the name was restored to Danbo in the later released
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
English translation. In reality, Danbo is merely Miura Hasayaka, a friend of the protagonist Yotsuba’s neighbor Ena, inside of a costume made of cardboard. Danbo was later picked up as an
Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, and inspired various electronic gadgets.
Origin
Miura created the costume out of cardboard boxes as a school project in volume 5 of the series. 5-year-old protagonist Yotsuba is convinced it's a real robot. Danbo was also seen in volume 10, when Yotsuba visits Miura’s apartment in an apartment complex (Yotsuba thinks it’s a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
), Yotsuba finds the head of the costume.
Appearances
Chapter 28: "Yotsuba & Cardbo"
Danbo first appeared in chapter 28 of the manga. It was created as a result of a challenge during summer vacation for elementary school students Ena and Miura. Although the person inside (Miura) is able to move upon wearing the costume, the young protagonist, Koiwai Yotsuba, found it by chance in the neighboring Ayase home while Miura was wearing the costume. Because Yotsuba believed it was a real robot, the two elementary school students joined forces to improvise a story in order to not destroy Yotsuba's dream. When Danbo claims to be going home, he leaves the Ayase home, with Miura still inside and Yotsuba still believing in him.
In the second semester, submitted to school as a summer project, Danbo receives a stamp from the teacher on the back of his head that reads "Very well done." After that, the Danbo costume is stored in Miura's room, left to decompose. In volume 10 Yotsuba unearths the head.
Chapter 69
Yotsuba and Ena visit Miura, where she finds the Danbo costume and is shocked to see that Danbo doesn't move. Miura tells her this is because he died, but Ena intervenes and refutes this and pushes Yotsuba out of the room under the pretense that she and Miura need to perform a resurrection ritual. Thus Miura again needs to wear the costume and afterwards Yotsuba, Ena and Danbo go playing in the park.
Merchandising
The Japanese company
Kaiyodo
is a Japanese company which manufactures action figures, figurines and garage kits. Its headquarters is in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. which became an Internet meme, and well-known over the Internet as a hero of many
Photo shoot
A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a Model (person), model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location.
A photo shoot is a series of images ...
s, one of the most famous is "365 Days of Danbo" by Arielle Nadel.
Flickr
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
returns over 36,000 photos tagged "Danboard". On images found on the Internet, Danbo is often depicted as being composed of
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
packaging boxes.
As of 2012 Danbo is being used as a Mascot for the Thai PBS show "Little Citizen".
Danbo has also inspired a line of electronic gadgets. The Japanese company Planex Communications has introduced a
wireless LAN
A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network
A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes.
Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and bus ...
USB hub
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad ...
. designed like Danbo's head, and Cheero has a line of Danbo batteries and
USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad ...
cables.
Most surprisingly, the Yotsuba Danbo head is also used as packaging for condoms made by the Japanese brand Okamoto.
Internet meme
File:Danbo Santa Claus.jpg, Danbo Santa Claus, Japan
File:Dorándose al atardecer (5410604407).jpg, Danbo enjoying sunset at Majorca, Spain
File:Danbo (2).jpg, Danbo climbing.
File:Danbo with Cherry flowers in Paris.jpg, Danbo with Cherry blossoms in Paris.
File:Danbo likes flowers.jpg, Danbo likes flowers.
File:Danbo's first snow.jpg, Danbo in the snow
See also
* ''
Nyanbo!
is a Japanese anime television series by Shirogumi. It is a spin-off of Kiyohiko Azuma's ''Yotsuba&!'' manga, based on the cat versions of the Danbo (character), Danbo characters within the series. It began airing on September 27, 2016, on NHK ...