A Doraemon exhibition in Hong Kong that attracted 5 million locals and tourists last summer set the stage for its 10-destination global tour, which will start soon in Shanghai, the organiser has told the Post.
Lam Shu-kam, the founder of design studio AllRightsReserved, said in an interview on Monday that some overseas visitors, including event organisers, ticketing companies and venue owners went to the exhibition in Tsim Sha Tsui last year and pitched to him the idea of bringing it to their cities.
“This shows that Hong Kong is an influential window to the world,” he said.
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Lam is the mastermind behind other high-profile exhibitions in Hong Kong, including the floating of inflatable rubber ducks in Victoria Harbour in 2013 and 2023, a similar showcase featuring Companion, a character created by American artist Kaws, in 2019, and, more recently, a display of giant pandas.
The family friendly “100% Doraemon & Friends Tour”, which took place last July and August at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, featured 135 large-scale models of the famous robot cat created by the late Japanese manga master Fujiko F. Fujio.
Lam said the Shanghai show would be similar to the one in Hong Kong but with a touch of local flavour. It would have both a free zone and a ticketed one at Jing An Kerry Centre between March 29 and May 5, with merchandise for sale.
There would also be “special arrangements” for the exhibition related to Shanghai’s iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, he said.
Lam added that the various Doraemon to be displayed would take on local cultural details, such as being dressed in traditional Chinese outfits, or depicted with xiaolongbao, a Shanghainese delicacy.
Following the Shanghai show, the exhibition will move on to another nine locations, including a handful of major mainland cities, Tokyo and Taipei in the coming year or so.
Following the success of the Hong Kong showcase last year, Lam said AllRightsReserved was planning another Japanese-themed event this coming summer that would make good use of Victoria Harbour and which catered to families.
“Hong Kong is a small market and the cost of organising events is high, but [the exhibition] is valuable in the world. We need good content and high accessibility to the public such as through affordable tickets or free access to events and prime locations,” he said.
Lam anticipated that the public would want more varied experiences that matched the world’s technological advancements, and content providers would have to develop more intellectual property (IP) featuring characters or products.
For example, AllRightsReserved registered an IP known as “Panda Friends and Family”, which was inspired by Hong Kong’s six giant pandas.
The IP has already generated an array of merchandise, though AllRightsReserved did not charge any fees and royalties would be used to fund the park’s operations to raise the bears.
The latest of these IP products feature giant pandas sitting atop postboxes across the city.
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