#Madobe Tooko

[trinketprince]

Let's talk Microsoft Mascots!

You might actually know a few of them! Microsoft first started having mascots for their products starting with Internet Explorer mascot,

Aizawa Inori (相沢いのり)!

Aizawa Inori is a "fan-design"-turned official design made as a response to other OStan designs around 2013! Her name is actually a pun (a trend you'll find a lot) to the software she reperesents! If you take the first syllables of family and given name, it forms the acronym for Internet Explorer! (Ai + I = IE)! She has a full wikipedia article where you can read up on her conception as well as her basic profile! She's also the mascot for Microsoft Edge after Internet Explorer's service ended.

Aizawa Hikaru (藍澤光)!

Microsoft Taiwan's mascot for Microsoft Silverlight, a programming software, created around 2010! Her family name Ai "藍" meaning blue, which is the signature color of Microsoft! The second character Zawa "澤" means "shine" or "luster" which is the "Silver" part while Hikaru's given name means "Light" from Silverlight! Together her name is a direct callback to "Microsoft Silverlight". While she initially was the mascot for the software, she became the defacto mascot for Microsoft Taiwan's branch. She has her own wikipedia article!

Hikaru and Inori aren't related, despite both of them being "Aizawa"s (albeit different characters), but Hikaru has some family herself! Aizawa Lei, Yuu and Aoi

Who join Hikaru as mascots for Microsoft Taiwan!

The Aizawa's aren't the only Microsoft mascots to have a family! Introducting the Madobes!

Madobe Nanami (窓辺ななみ)

She is the mascot for Windows 7 who first appeared around 2009! She is voiced by Mizuki Nana. Her name is a pun! Mado (窓) meaning window and her given name containing the word for 7, Nana (なな).

She actually wasn't created by Microsoft themselves but designed by Wakaba and Windows 7 Mania. She was used to promote Windows 7 and has been Window's main mascot (as seen on their twitter) until Ai and Yu's reveal and her retirement after support for Windows 7 ended in 2020 and she passed the torch of main mascot to Touko!

Before I continue with Windows 8 let me introduce a few mascots revealed after Nanami.

Claudia Madobe (クラウディア・窓辺)

Claudia is the mascot for Windows Azure, Microsoft's Cloud service. She's actually one of the more utilized mascots, created by Microsoft themselves to promote the service! She is voiced by Kitamura Eri. She actually has a duet with Nanami!

Madobe Mutsumi (窓辺むつみ)

Mutsumi is Nanami's bigger sister who takes over the Nanami twitter account sometimes! She often jokes about not being forgotten and being left behind. If it isn't immediately apparent, Mutsumi is the "mascot" for Windows Vista, aka the 6th Major Windows OS. (Mascot in parenthesis since she didn't debut with the OS and in fact, debuted AFTER 7's release)

She was designed by Shimoogawa and takes inspiration from Nanami as seen by her appearance which takes notes from Nanami's own clothes like the skirt and waistcoat. Her name is also a pun, Mutsu (むつ) meaning 6. As such ends her tweets with #6me (mutsumi), she stopped tweeting when support for Windows Vista ended in 2017. Nanami also used to end her tweets with #7me but since she tweets more than Mutsumi she tweets without it.

Madobe Yu and Madobe Ai (窓辺ゆう&窓辺��い)

Ai and Yu are Mascots for Windows 8! (Ai on the left, Yu on the right), Not much to say about them! They're Microsoft's first Windows mascot they created themselves. Yu is voiced by Nishi Asuka while Ai is voiced by Tamura Nao. Ever since they're release Microsoft releases a few albums where the mascots sing together, they have a few songs out. The origin of their names aren't known but it is assumed that their taken from one of the Windows 8 slogans "You and I"

They didn't take over the Madobe Nanami twitter and were promoted alongside her and Claudia instead. Presumably, until their graduation when support for Windows 8 and 8.1 ends, they will continue promoting Windows with Touko.

Madobe Touko (窓辺 とうこ)

Microsoft's latest mascot for Windows 10! Touko's name comes from the an alternate reading of the word 10! She currently takes the mantle for promoting Windows. She is voiced by Nonaka Ai!