NO HO HOOON. I love these guys. I can't deny the little face or the slow bob of the head in sunlight. For those unfamiliar, Nohohon Zuko are also known as "sunshine buddies" in English. Made by Tomy company in 2002, these specialized bobble heads were promoted as "relaxing" for the office, and typically bought for businessmen. The trend became a boom and whole new lines of luck buddies, fruit/veggie buddies, and character buddies were created year after year. Even imitations and special edition buddies can be found. If you want an original, you gotta get a Tomy. When this one went on super sale for an import store going out of business, I nabbed it fast.
There he is! Well it.... not sure if it's an anything, but adorable. This guy is about four and a half inches tall (12 cm) closer to five with the base. They add design elements on the bases and make good use of the space. Modeling and colors are spot on too. Some people say they dislike the censor bar for the light activation, but I disagree. It's centered, neat, and it's the whole purpose to the eco friendly bobber. The screws in the back are a little unsightly though.
If you prefer it not to bob, they have a pictorial on/off switch located underneath. Really a sweet touch that falls in line with the design of the nohohon's in general. Mine is a 2008 Career Buddy (it supposedly boosts luck in your workplace and is soooo meant for business dudes). Anyway a true one will show the years and the tomy name, plus a serial number. But what are the extra holes for in the corners?
The optional base. Basically the way this one was packaged, a plastic dome with the label was on top of the extra base. I believe the idea was for when you give it to Mr. Business dude all he has to do is peel off the dome and set his buddy up right away. It even has a hole in it so you can reach the on/off switch without removing it. I leave it on for the sake of having it, plus it adds an extra inch to the height. Not all Nohohon's come with this base though, some come with a key chain, or a larger base anyway. Specialty ones don't seem to have fun extras though : /
What drew me to this one was literally the coloring (God I love that lightblue/pale green/white combo) and the style of the extra character and flowers. They really pop off of the blue base, and add balance to the main nohohon. They are really molded out, and not thought of as just extra bits, but main portions of the relaxing scene. The tiny flower bud and the wiggly feet on the mini really add life and character to an otherwise static bobble head (as cute as it may be).
So why this guy over a normal figure or plush? Because I never do see too many reviews of them, and they are really charming. The variety of them is astounding! I am very sure anyone can find one in a color combination and style they love. This guy in particular stays out by my alarm clock so I see him in the mornings. It's a nice gentle figure to wake up too.
Finding a Nohohon for yourself? Actually it's pretty easy. Most Japanese import stores, specialty model/toy stores and auction sites online have them. Price wise? Well, when they first debuted they were 1000 yen. Anymore it's depends on which one and who's shipping. I've found them from ten bucks all the way to 200 for the limited edition Christmas or Lucky Wedding Nohohon's. If you get one, put up some pics!
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