DoCoMo USA is pleased to inform you about an upcoming art exhibition in New York sponsored by DoCoMo. The exhibit is a light-hearted collection of works by 16 up-and-coming artists from Japan, reflecting their interpretation of DoCoMo’s “mushroom mascots” — “Docomodake.”
September 24, 2007
DoCoMo Mushrooms become Japan’s Tastiest Characters
DoCoMo Mushrooms (”Docomodake”), a family of mascots in the likeness of mushrooms, have become one of Japan’s leading corporate characters since their debut in 2005. And now they are set to become the nation’s best-tasting mascots, the result of an exhibition themed “How to Cook Docomodake.”
The unlikely mascots were introduced in 2005 when DoCoMo launched a service to allow unused monthly time to be carried over or shared among family members. The mushroom family was conceived to emphasize that DoCoMo was the only mobile operator offering the service, because in Japanese dake means both “only” and “mushroom.”
Today, however, the smiling mascots have literally mushroomed into ubiquitous symbols of happiness. Docomodake now appear everywhere in Japan, used widely as mobile phone accessories, phone-game and picture-book heroes, stuffed toys and much, much more.
Capitalizing on this unexpected success, DoCoMo has developed a campaign to further promote Docomodake in a variety of public events at home and abroad. One such event is a Docomodake art exhibition taking place in New York City (201 Mulberry Street, between Kenmare and Spring Streets) from October 19 to 28. Exhibition hours are 11–7 daily, except on the opening day, when the schedule will be as follows: press registration from 3:30 pm; press viewing from 4–6 pm; and general public viewing from 6–8 pm.
A total of 16 up-and-coming Japanese painters, fashion designers, illustrators and other artists have been invited to express their interpretations of mushroom cuisine. Among the participants are Matsui Erina, a gold medalist at the GEISAI 6 art festival hosted by well-known artist Takashi Murakami; Kentaro Kobuke, an established artist in Europe and America; and Kiyoshi Kuroda, a well-known illustrator.
It is hoped that the exhibits these artists cook up will demonstrate how well Docomodake suit the tastes of mushroom lovers everywhere.
If you have any questions, please contact:
(In US)
Karen Lurker
NTT DoCoMo USA, Inc.
Tel: 1-212-994-7222
Fax: 1-212-994-7219
e-mail: PR_Team@docomo-usa.com
Website: http://docomodake.net/art/
For more information about the exhibit and participating artists, please visit: http://docomodake.net/art/
For information about the exhibit in Japanese, please refer to the following PDF file:
