Some lesser-known facts about Doraemon: he was built on 3 September 2112, he was originally yellow, he lost his ears to a robot mouse, and he was rejected as a substandard robot before Nobita’s descendant Sewashi bought him. Japan even named him its official anime ambassador in 2008.
Doraemon has been part of Indian childhoods since the Hindi dub arrived on TV in 2005. Most of us know the gadgets, the dorayaki and Nobita’s endless trouble, but the robot cat’s own backstory is less known. Here are 10 facts about Doraemon, checked and updated for 2026.
Doraemon quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Creator | Fujiko F. Fujio (Hiroshi Fujimoto) |
| Manga debut | 1969 |
| Anime series | 1973, 1979 and 2005 |
| Birthday | 3 September 2112 |
| Favourite food | Dorayaki |
| Japanese voice | Nobuyo Oyama (1979 to 2005), Wasabi Mizuta (2005 onwards) |
| India premiere | 2005 |
10 facts about Doraemon you probably did not know
1. His name means “stray cat”
“Dora” comes from “dora neko”, a corruption of “nora neko”, which means stray cat in Japanese. “Emon” is an old-fashioned ending used in male names. So Doraemon roughly means a stray male cat, which suits a robot who landed in a stranger’s desk drawer.
2. He was born on 3 September 2112
Doraemon was made on 3 September 2112 at the Matsushiba Robot Factory. Fans in Japan celebrate this date as his birthday every year, even though it is still decades away in real time.
3. He was a substandard robot
Doraemon was not a top model. He was judged substandard at the factory, which is why he was cheap enough for the struggling Nobi family of the future to buy. Sewashi, Nobita’s great-great-grandson, took a liking to him and later sent him back in time to fix Nobita’s life, so that Sewashi’s own future would improve.
4. He was originally yellow, with ears
The blue cat we know started out yellow and had ears. In the most-told version, a robot mouse chewed his ears off while he slept, and they had to be removed. Heartbroken, he cried so much that his yellow coating washed off and he turned blue. Another telling of the backstory adds that he drank a sadness potion by mistake, and the tears that followed washed the paint away.
5. That is why he is scared of mice
The ear incident explains his famous fear of mice and rats. One squeak and Doraemon panics, sometimes pulling out dangerous gadgets in a hurry. It also explains why he gets angry when people mistake him for a raccoon dog because of his round, earless head.
6. Dorayaki is his weakness
Doraemon’s favourite food is dorayaki, a Japanese snack of two small pancakes with sweet red bean paste in between. Many Indian fans first heard of dorayaki through the show, and Nobita often bribes him with it.
7. His pocket holds hundreds of gadgets
The fourth-dimensional pocket on his belly is a doorway to an endless store of future tools. The most loved are the Anywhere Door (Dokodemo Door), the Take-copter, the Time Machine kept in Nobita’s desk drawer, the Air Cannon and the Memory Bread. Most of them backfire when Nobita misuses them, which is the point of nearly every episode.
8. Dorami is his younger sister
Dorami, the small yellow robot with ears, is Doraemon’s younger sister. A popular piece of series lore says both were made with oil from the same can, with Doraemon getting the top layer and Dorami the better-quality oil from the bottom. That is the in-universe reason she is often shown as more capable than her brother.
9. Japan named him an anime ambassador
In 2008, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Doraemon the country’s first “anime ambassador” to promote Japanese culture abroad. Few cartoon characters have held an official government role.
10. The voice behind him changed in 2005
Nobuyo Oyama voiced Doraemon in Japanese for about 26 years, from 1979 to March 2005. Wasabi Mizuta took over in 2005 and still voices him. Oyama died in Tokyo on 29 September 2024, aged 90. In India, the Hindi version made Sonal Kaushal’s voice familiar to a whole generation of kids.
Doraemon in India and around the world
The anime premiered in India in 2005 and became a staple on Hungama TV and Disney Channel India. In 2016, legal notices in India targeted Doraemon and Shin-chan over claims they harmed children, but no ban followed.
The franchise has also moved beyond hand-drawn animation. Stand by Me Doraemon (2014) retold key stories in 3D computer animation, and its sequel, Stand by Me Doraemon 2, followed in November 2020. Both drew big audiences across Asia.
Globally, the manga has sold over 300 million copies as of 2024, and there have been 45 annual Doraemon feature films as of 2026. Merchandise sales alone were estimated at more than $4.3 billion by 2019, making it one of the biggest media franchises in the world. For more nostalgia, see our listicles, series and movies sections.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Doraemon blue?
He was originally yellow. After a robot mouse chewed off his ears, he cried so much that his yellow coating washed off, leaving him blue.
When is Doraemon’s birthday?
Doraemon was made on 3 September 2112 at the Matsushiba Robot Factory, so his birthday is 3 September.
Who created Doraemon?
Fujiko F. Fujio, the pen name of Hiroshi Fujimoto, created Doraemon. The manga began in 1969.
Is Doraemon’s sister Dorami?
Yes. Dorami is his younger sister, a yellow robot cat with ears who is often shown as smarter than him.
Sources: Wikipedia: Doraemon (character), Wikipedia: Doraemon, Wikipedia: Nobuyo Oyama.
