Ayudhya woman lays her Doraemon to rest

Thai TV news coverage of Plubplueng's Buddhist funeral for her Doraemon doll. The anchor notes that a motorcycle taxi drove the doll to school and picked it up every day.

We all know Thailand loves Doraemon, but this story lifts the anime doll's celebrity status to new heights. According to recent Thai media reports, a woman in Ayudha spent 200,000 baht for an elaborate Thai Buddhist funeral for a Doraemon doll that concluded last week.

Yes, that's right, a stuffed doll. Blog Xomba posted an English version of the reports, noting that Plubplueng Ngamchareon, a 48-year-old Thai woman, received the famous blue Japanese anime character from a Buddhist monk when she was in the hospital being treated for cancer three years ago.

“After her recovery she began to have dreams where the Doraemon doll would appear to her and give her advice and sometimes lottery numbers,” says Xomba. “She attributed her recovery, health, good fortune in business and occasional lottery winnings to her Doraemon doll; which she had come to think of as her own child.”

You might be curious as to how the poor little guy met his untimely death. According to reports, in October of 2009 Doraemon visited Plubpleung’s dreams to say goodbye and told her that he was dead. We wonder how Nobita handled the news.

In other news:

Cambodia lets loose: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has given the Thai government a clear sign he’s not interested in mending fences, issuing several verbal attacks directed at the Thai PM on a Cambodian website, according to the Bangkok Post.

Pricey drink in Bangkok’s honor: A lounge in the British city of Liverpool adjoining a Thai restaurant is offering a cocktail called the “Bangkok Slip.” The price? A cool 518,000 baht (10,000 pound) per glass. Not that bad, considering the drink includes a high-end trip to Phuket.