The Power of Ding Dong

A shrinking light bulb, a weather machine, air guns and a teleport door are all the examples of magic tools in Ding Dong's

unique magic pocket. The pocket accesses the fourth dimension, where he can reach in to find his magic tools to work

amazing miracles.

Probably you have come across a scene of this kind many times in either Ding Dong comics or animations. Probably Ding

Dong grew up with you throughout your childhood and even adolescence. Probably Ding Dong still accompanies you every

day. Am I right? Don’t be afraid. I have not installed a spy camera in your bedroom. I know because every kid loves Ding

Dong. That’s why Ding Dong is the most popular Japanese comic series in the world.

To understand the reasons for the popularity, I have already reread all my Ding Dong comics and collected opinions from my

peers. After my investigation, I can come up with 7 reasons. They can fall into two categories: (1) Readers can build a good

relation with the characters. (2) The writer of Ding Dong have a sound understanding of readers’ psychology.

Close relation with the characters

The readers can see themselves in Ding Dong:

Ding Dong is a series of comis that reflects the reality the readers are in. ‘Da Hong is a lazy boy and always gets poor

results in examinations.’ Michael Chan Ka Ho, my classmates said, ‘ At home, he is scolded by his mother. In school, he

is teased by his classmates. I can see my teacher, my mother, my friends and myself in all my Ding Dong comics.’ Pauline

Tang, who shared the same view, said, ‘I can follow the ups and downs of different characters because they are all sorts of

people I come across every day.’

Therefore, Da Hong’s unhappy life at home and in school holds up a mirror to children in general and thus they understand

the characters’ complexities very much, which allows them to build a good relation with the characters as a result.

Unchanged time dimension in the story

The main characters are Primary 5 students forever. So, in the readers’ minds, the personalities of different characters

never change. For example, Da Hong is weak. Jing Yee is kind. Kei On is rude and unreasonable. Hence, whenever the

readers read Ding Dong, they feel like meeting their old friends.

‘I like Ding Dong very much. I often read my Ding Dong comics on my bookshelf again and again. I really enjoy them

although I have read them many times. I can recall the memory of my childhood and have a feeling of intimacy.’ Pauline said.

Lovely image

Ding Dong is a lovely robot cat. No one rejects such a cute robot cat. Besides, children always like pets. They always look

for a pet which can talk to and play with them. That’s why Ding Dong is very appealing to children. If Ding Dong were a

digital robot or human being coming from the future, the attractiveness would be undermined.

Readers’ psychology

Desire for the magic tools

Another reason for its popularity is the readers’ desire for the magic tools. Ding Dong’s magic tools can help Da Hong

solve many problems in his daily life. Thus, children, who always encounter the same problems, strongly desire for the magic

tools. ‘Whenever Da Hong encounters difficulties, Ding Dong will extend a helping hand by taking magic tools out from his

pocket to make things right! It is very amazing. Each story in the comics gives me a new surprise.’ Kam Wong, my

churchmate said, ‘ The most funny thing is that whenever Da Hong uses Ding Dong’s tools, everything must end up in a

mess. If I were Da Hong, I would use them much more properly.’ Hence, although the readers know that everything is

fake in the comics, Ding Dong can realize their dreams in the comic world.

Pursuit of justice

On the other hand, when Ding Dong and his friends come across evil power from another time dimension or part of the

universe, they can finally defeat the evil. It can satisfy the readers’ pursuit of justice. In fact, it is a very important factor for

the success of the comics. Why do people still like Superman or Batman? Why has Sherlock Holmes still been so popular

since this novel series was published a hundred years ago? The answers for these questions are the same. Justice can be

realized in these stories. If the endings of all these stories were just the opposite, no one would like to have a look. Of

course, I cannot say that this factor holds the key to the success. However, one undeniable thing is that they would have

never been so successful without it. Ding Dong is not an exception.

Power of fantasies

Ding Dong also fulfills the readers’ fantasies about our world. There is a series of stories about their adventures in Dinosaur

Age, Stone Age and other planets. Adventures of these kinds are what we want to explore in our life.

‘ In Ding Dong, we can see the full pictures of what our fantasies really look like’ Pen Yu, a student of Applied Social

Studies said. Hence, Ding Dong almost fulfill all their fantasies about our world.

The Result…

In the light of a good relation between the characters and the readers, it is easy to keep the readers chase the story in which

they can find fulfillment. The fulfillment brings them an unforgettable reading experience. Hence, the interplay between the

readers’ psychology and the characters in the story contribute to the success of the comic series.