As I surf the web and happen to visit Flickr looking for images for my blogs, I stumbled upon a guy named Danny Choo. At first, I thought that he is a fan of Manga/Anime-style dolls. The image was well-taken, so I decided to learn more about Danny Choo and his so-called Smart Doll. I go to his personal site to learn more, DannyChoo.com
Boy I was surprised and dumbfounded at what this guy is doing. Instead of a portfolio, I was presented by a great blog branded as Culture Japan. The blog features Danny’s work and the events he organized and active in worldwide.
Reading the About page, I was even more dumbfounded. Born in the UK and currently live in Tokyo, Japan, Danny Choo is the producer of the Culture Japan. Through the brand, Danny shares Japanese culture through a series of TV shows, anime characters and events.
What’s interesting about Danny, is the fact that he decided to leave the corporate world that has given him $300K annual salary. Indeed, Danny was working with Amazon, Microsoft and other well-known corporations. He wanted to pursue his passion. Danny says that money is not the driving factor; his love for Japanese pop culture is.
He founded Mirai Inc., doing web consulting. His clients include Disney and Columbia. Now here’s the interesting part: Danny decided to create a mascot named Mirai Suenaga. Along the way, Mirai Suenaga has become a popular icon for anime and Japanese culture lovers.
Mirai’s popularity is exploding, and Danny decided to take Mirai to another level: 3D printed smart doll that moves as you command – manually and mechanically. Thus born another venture called Smart Doll.
Check out how it works – it’s crazy for a doll to be this realistic:
Let’s just say that the limit is your imagination.
I personally think that Danny Choo is a trend-setter and a great visionary. His great design and tech skills will only open up more opportunities in the future.
Congrats, Danny Choo, and good luck!
Cover photo credit: Shadonia / Flickr
