Alibaba and Doraemon join hands to offer 'miraculous gadgets'

Japanese cartoon character Doraemon, with thousands of cutting-edge tools in its small pocket, became the mascot of Taobao, the largest online shopping platform run by Alibaba.[Photo/CFP]

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is joining hands with Japanese cartoon character Doraemon to offer consumers "miraculous gadgets from the 22nd Century".

At a press conference on Monday, the robotic cat, with thousands of cutting-edge tools in its small pocket, became the mascot of Taobao, the largest online shopping platform run by Alibaba.

The two sides will set up an online store, from which consumers can purchase gadgets featured in the story of the Doraemon manga series such as the "bamboo-copter", a small head accessory that allows flight in future.

As the first step in the partnership, Taobao launched four tools. One of them is a software that enables users to hunt for bargain online simply by shaking their smartphone from top to down, like chopping a beef. Users can buy the Doraemon T-shirt, worth 999 yuan, at 1 yuan by shaking their smartphone.

The software also encourages friends to wave smartphones together by promising even lower prices.