Japanese shopping behemoth Don Quijote has ruffled some feathers recently. The massive discount store was set to replace Donpen, its long-standing penguin mascot, with a new, less-than-cute figure called Dojou-chan, inspired by the Japanese katakana character for ‘do’.
【大切なお知らせ】
— 驚安の殿堂 ドン・キホーテ🐧 (@donki_donki) December 16, 2022
ドンキのオリジナルブランド「情熱価格」を皆様に知ってもらいたいという真摯な想いから、この度ドンキ公式キャラクターを「ドンペン」から「ド情ちゃん」に交代する事が決定いたしました。
今後ともド情ちゃんを宜しくお願い致します。 pic.twitter.com/NfWFspOHVz
When the news was announced on Friday December 16 via Twitter, people were less than impressed about the change. Donpen has been synonymous with Don Quijote for years, and you can purchase merchandise featuring the penguin such as shirts, hoodies, plush toys and even Donpen Crocs-lookalikes.
Due to the backlash, Don Quijote's president Naoki Yoshida decided to hold an emergency meeting on the same day to resolve the issue. According to his tweet, he was not aware of the surprising plan to replace Donpen.
【お詫びとご報告】
— 驚安の殿堂 ドン・キホーテ🐧 (@donki_donki) December 16, 2022
ドン・キホーテ公式キャラクターの交代につきまして、ご報告致します。 pic.twitter.com/SgIK3ZKQdH
After the strong response from the general public, Don Quijote released a statement (as shown above) on Friday evening stating that it would be keeping Donpen as its mascot.
Donpen stans can now breathe a sigh of relief. You might even want to pick up a Donpen souvenir or two the next time you’re shopping at Donki.
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