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Doraemon, that loveable robotic, time-travelling kitty, may have inadvertently inspired an early Qing Dynasty cult of Doraemon worship during his travels through the space-time continuum, if this bizarrely similar idol of a grinning cat discovered by a Chinese tourist is to be believed.

The tourist claims he found the idol while on a trip somewhere in mainland China and became convinced of its authenticity when an antique shop owner confirmed it as an actual Qing Dynasty artifact. Still, the finder uploaded a photo of the idol to Twitter for a second opinion:

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The Internet being what it is, the sheer volume of righteous snark from Netizens was so visceral and overwhelming, we had to shield our eyes:

“Ah, I believe I know this artifact. The artist is one Fujiko Fujio,” said one clever commenter, referencing the manga artist and creator of Doraemon who is very much alive today and very much was not alive in Qing-Dynasty China.

“It appears to be made from cement,” said another.

“This is not from the Qing Dynasty,” another thief of joy bluntly put.

And we’d have to say we agree. It’s almost blatantly obvious the idol is a poorly-made fake or a modern, official Doraemon lawn ornament that just happened to find itself very far from home.

For what it’s worth, though, the finder is still adamant he believes it’s the real McCoy, and we say more power to him; we’re sure there’s some rich, kooky antique collector out there willing to pay out millions on the off-chance that this one’s authentic.
[ Read in Japanese ]