Onkyo netbook gets covered inside and out with Miffy

Miffy (or Nijntje) is a small, Dutch, female rabbit who appears in picture books. How exactly she became a cultural hit in Japan we don't know, but we do have a good idea how she found herself plastered all over this netbook: some combination of Onkyo having a bunch of extra C4 units lying around and Namco-Bandai having a Miffy license it wasn't fully utilizing. On the hardware side this thing is particularly disinteresting (1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, etc. etc.), but its lid has been liberally covered with character silhouettes. Its Windows installation (7 or XP) has received a similar treatment, with Miffy-themed apps and wallpaper ruling the desktop thanks to that partnership with Namco-Bandai. No word on price, but predictably this one is Japan-only.

[jackjumper85 Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:15AM]

Miffy?

[Ceyran Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:20AM]

@jackjumper85
It's called Nijntje in Dutch so I don't know where Miffy comes from either.

[beardoc Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:28AM]

@jackjumper85
It was "Miffy" in many Western countries, including Australia. I grew up with the books when I was a kid.

[DeFlanko Posted Jul 11th 2010 10:25AM]

@jackjumper85

"Miffy (or Nijntje) is a small, Dutch, female rabbit who appears in picture books. How exactly she became a cultural hit in Japan we don't know"

Really?! Cause it doesn't look ANYTHING like Hello Kitty.... nope.. not at all.. /Facepalm

Japan you've been KIRF'd... GG..

[m66 Posted Jul 11th 2010 10:43AM]

@DeFlanko
Hello Kitty is the KIRF in this case. Miffy is 55 years old.

[Born2Jew Posted Jul 11th 2010 1:30PM]

@jackjumper85 Actually its for Bandi or Namcos (Which ever came first) 50th anniversary. I saw it on a diff computer website.

[Genicus Posted Jul 11th 2010 5:35PM]

@Ceyran Could be wrong, but I thought nijntje is a Belgian 'invemtion'

[walter164 Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:20AM]

MIFFY!! A CUTE LITTLE BUNNY!!! LOL...only in Japan...

[d0mth0ma5 Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:03AM]

@walter164 and Holland

[grandmainger Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:51AM]

@walter164

Anything cute is a hit here. Japan's the world capital of cute.

[Versed Posted Jul 11th 2010 9:57AM]

@grandmainger

Yeah, maybe some 20 year old Japanese girl in a "Helllo Kitty" tea shirt is cute, this is downright goofy.

[subcode Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:23AM]

Give me a Milfy netbook and i'm sold

[mocax Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:24AM]

hello miffy.....

[Bjorn Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:42AM]

I didn't know this was famous outside of Thr Netherlands.

[Samh Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:45AM]

@Bjorn It's popular in Australia, where I live, as well. I think it has its own TV programme + books etc.

[davidbowser Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:05PM]

@Bjorn There was a kids show aired in the US also. I guessed that it was Dutch from the credits, but I had no idea it was so widespread.

Here are some of the episodes:

http://kids.aol.com/KOL/2/KOLJrCartoons/Archive/miffy-and-friends

[gt1948 Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:15AM]

After poor customer support for their A/V receiver I bought 18 months ago with a two year warranty.... I am boycotting Onkyo products.

Repair centers are far and few between.

[DTJ Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:51AM]

I thought onkyo computers were just a licensee from onkyo, and not the same company that makes the receivers?

[kobioshi Posted Jul 11th 2010 9:18AM]

I don't know why, but whenever I see a company start moving away from what they are famous for (I.E. high end audio components) I lose respect for said company. Especially when they decide to put their name on such an obnoxious piece of crap like this! Where is the dignity? Seems like so many companies will pimp themselves, and sell out to make a buck.

[xdeiri Posted Jul 11th 2010 10:36AM]

effy.

[leigh Posted Jul 11th 2010 11:05AM]

Do want.

[eslai Posted Jul 11th 2010 11:14AM]

Wow, all this time I thought Miffy was from Sanrio.

[Jorn Jelmer Posted Jul 11th 2010 11:33AM]

i know this bunny all my life i'm living in The Netherlands tonight we are going to beat spain!! :D

[Haro Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:10PM]

@Jorn Jelmer I hope so! (And I just happen to be wearing a Spain jersey)

[CityZen Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:08PM]

"Nijntje"? Is that pronounced anything like "ninja"? Clever...

[CityZen Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:11PM]

@CityZen Ooh, just noticed this: http://www.chocosho.com/admin/images/380x285/79485_1_ninja.jpg

[Haro Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:12PM]

I like it. I think we need more cute technology products here in the US.

[magallanes Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:30PM]

i think it is a magnet for psychos, perv and pedo.

[NikAmi Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:55PM]

@jackjumper85 Really Engadget? Really??!! You can't figure out how a cute, pink bunny became popular in Japan? Really? May be next I should explain to you how Victoria's Secret model Bar Rafaeli became popular in America. I mean really, you can't fathom how the land that created Hello Kitty and represents pedophilia in physical form as a cute bear could like a furry woodland creature. Really? Really??!!

[bathellfire Posted Jul 11th 2010 5:17PM]

Who was this product targeted for?

[xxxsam Posted Jul 11th 2010 6:31PM]

@bathellfire everyone with a soul! I mean, hello, it's Miffy! Who would not want a Miffy computer.

That said, this is a pretty crap effort. Pink is Hello Kitty's colour, not Miffy's. Miffy should have a black outline, and she should usually have a primary-coloured dress - and, often, a bright primary-coloured background too. See http://bit.ly/bNaPvg

[yrag Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:49PM]

Look out Hello Kitty, Miffy is gunning for your ass, and this time it's PERSONAL!!!!!!!!!!