The Local Museum
History of COCO the Cat Village

In 1989,COCO the Cat was created by use of "monolith" polygon animation software on a PC-98 computer. This software was used by the "Zip-Map"computer graphic production company, home of COCO(the pen name of author Maki Takiya)
At the time,3-D animation software that was capable of video output through a personal computer was both epoch-making and expensive. Under Monolith with its exclusive frame-buffer,all modeling and the like could be handled only as text display on a plygon,or screen. Zip-Map had been creating the title logo and whatnot for the NHK broadcasting company, and in course of mastering that software, COCO created the character of COCO the cat.
This caracter was initially nameless.In the process of naming various feline objects,someone or other came up with the name of COCO the Cat. Soon after ,Maki Takiya herself devised a likeness of COCO the Cat. In 1990,upon request from such magazines as "BEYOND"(a publicatrion geares toward Internet members)and "21-Seiki Hanga"(21st century Prints),her works were formally presented to the public.

In 1992,after spotting COCO the Cat on the cover of the magazine"Log-In" ,woodworking artist Makoto Konoike of Nagano prefecture was kind enough to produce a wooden prototype of COCO the Cat.And in 1995,a design registration for toy animal was granted(Reg.no.934129)

In 1993 a COCO the Cat animation was broadcast on NHK Educational TV in the "Musical Fantasy Dreams".The music was Biset's "l'Arlesienne". COCO the Cat has also been used often in such places as the covers of Takiya's own works.(We are now seeking enterprises that would be interested in merchandising COCO as a toy,publishing COCO as a picture book.)







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"Introducion the Village Cats"

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