Danny Choo


Danny Choo is a British entrepreneur and television producer based in Japan.

Early life and education

Choo was born and raised in Hackney, East London. His father is Malaysian-born fashion designer Jimmy Choo. As his parents were busy, he spent part of childhood in foster care.
Choo attended school in Stoke Newington and Leytonstone, and was bullied. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese and Korean language from SOAS University of London.

Career

Choo runs the web and television production company Mirai Inc.

''Culture Japan''

Choo is the director, producer, and the host of a Japanese TV show called Culture Japan. The show consists of Choo exploring several aspects of Japanese popular culture. Segments are hosted by Choo interviewing a member of a specific culture that the episode is exploring. Other segments are long videos that are narrated by Mirai Suenaga, Culture Japan's virtual mascot. The second season featured a new animated opening, Sukirai, composed by vividblaze and sung by UTACO. The video itself was animated by JC Staff. In Japan, the show is broadcast on Tokyo MX TV.
Choo has stated that the main purpose of the show is to distribute knowledge of Japanese culture to the rest of the world, although it has received some attention in Japan.

Smart Doll

Choo started selling his own fashion doll known as Smart Doll. Smart Doll is a range of 1/3 scale, vinyl fashion dolls. The dolls are approximately 60 cm in height. The current design line-up consists of all his mascot characters; doll parts and accessories are also available. His dolls feature a unique assembly where the parting line is under the bust, unlike the mid-waist parting line of traditional doll design; this gives his dolls a more human-like appearance. His first doll, Mirai Suenaga, became the mascot for Japanese Tourism in 2014.
In 2019, Smart Doll released an additional body type made of a harder substance called Cortex, which is sturdier, resists staining from dark-colored apparel and is less-expensive than vinyl. Cortex body was discontinued shortly after production, due to imperfections.
In 2015, Choo brought the dolls to Anime Expo. In 2016, Choo's Smart Dolls were showcased in Penang Fashion Week. Choo began developing 120 cm robotic dolls.