TRAT — A mysterious large "Doraemon" doll has gone viral online after being found propped against an electricity pole on the central island of the Tha Ruea Chang red-light intersection in Mueang Trat district. Just a few hours after a local news page posted about it, the view count surged past 48,000. Netizens flooded the comments with sympathy and offers to take the doll home as a companion, while its owner has yet to come forward.
Today (2 Aug.), a reporter said that on the central island of the red-light intersection in front of the Srithaweep bookshop at Tha Ruea Chang market, Tambon Wang Krachae, Mueang Trat district, a large "Doraemon" stuffed toy — approximately two feet tall — was found placed and leaning against an electricity pole in the blazing heat, drawing surprise from passersby. Many assumed the owner had brought it out to air in the sun.
Later, a local journalist and the news page "Prachammati Trat Newspaper" photographed it and posted a short caption posing the question: "Abandoned? Or left out to sun?" The post quickly became a viral sensation, racking up more than 48,000 views within just a few hours, along with a large number of comments — many expressing affection and a desire to take the doll home and look after it.
Inquiries with nearby business operators revealed that after 4:00 a.m., someone had placed the doll in a rubbish bin. Because the Mueang Trat Municipality garbage truck had already passed by at that point, the doll was not collected. An unidentified person then moved it and stood it against the electricity pole on the central island of the intersection sometime during the morning.
Suwit Wanlayarat, a local resident, said he had noticed the doll sitting in the rubbish bin since early in the morning, after the garbage truck had already gone by, which was why it was not taken away. He added that an unknown person later moved it and placed it against the electricity pole in the middle of the intersection, and that by the evening no owner had come forward.
The atmosphere at the scene was lively, with members of the public stopping by to take photos and chat cheerfully. Police Lieutenant Colonel Wut Somboon, a retired police officer from Trat Province, even brought out a Doraemon-patterned ice cooler to pose for photos alongside the doll, drawing laughter from those present.
Online, a wide range of comments were posted, including: "I'll take the little one home to stay with me," "When you love someone you buy them a stuffed toy, but when you break up you throw it away," and "It was cold in Japan, so it came to soak up the sun in Thailand."
As of the latest update at 6:45 p.m., when a reporter went back to check on the scene, "Doraemon" was still sitting in the same spot leaning against the electricity pole, with people continuing to come and take photos and confirming online: "It's still sitting there." The question of who the true owner of this mysterious Doraemon is — and whether anyone will come to take it home — remains unanswered.
