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The following designs are were inspired by the OS-tan Anime Computer mascots, but were not designed by users of Futaba.
Firefox-ko
Firefox-ko is a personification of the browser Mozilla Firefox, who is usually portrayed as a japanese fox spirit (see kitsune) in shinto priestess attire by most fan-artists, although the official Mozilla Brand FAQ (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/firefox-name-faq.html) notes that "Firefox" is also known as the common name for the red panda. Her color set and design resemble that of the Firefox logo.
A character named Hana from the desktop mascot program Ukagaka is often mistaken for Firefox-ko when pictures appear on English-language bulletin-board sites, but she is not associated with the OS-tans. She is usually distinguishable by her preferred outfit, a navy-blue sailor fuku.
While not wide-spread, a character known as "Firebird-ko" was also created as a memorial of the old name of the browser ("Mozilla Firebird"). [1] (http://inu.imagines.jp/gallery/firebird.html). The interest was only short-lived.
Popularity: appears semi-regularly on Western and Japanese imageboards.
Thunderbird-ko
Thunderbird-ko is a personification of the mail and news client Mozilla Thunderbird. She is the best friend of Firefox-ko. She dresses like a telephone operator, carries a keyboard/monitor, and sometimes holds a letter in her hands. Similar to Firefox-ko, her color set and design resemble that of the Thunderbird logo.
Popularity: very uncommon. Almost forgotten as of Feburary 2005.
Øpera-tan
Opera-tan.png
Opera-tan image
Øpera-tan is a personification of the Opera (browser). This character was created in response to Lawrence Eng's recommendation on Opera branding [2] (http://www.cjas.org/~leng/opera.htm) [3] (http://www.pandora.nu/tempo-depot/notes/The_other_side/Graffiti/d050113.htm) [4] (http://orera.g.hatena.ne.jp/keyword/%E3%81%8A%E3%81%BA%E3%82%89%E3%81%9F%E3%82%93). As Lawrence's suggestion, she is an elegant but approachable lady wearing opera gloves. Other characteristics include long silvery gray hair, and a purple hat with a big red letter Ø.
Popularity: very uncommon. Almost forgotten as of Feburary 2005.
Other Sabas
Other designs for the Server versions of Windows by a Japanese Doujin group called "Deja Vu" exist.
They resemble the group's own designs of the Windows NT and Windows 2000 OS-tans (NT-DejaVu is a strict unpleasant woman with burgundy-coloured hair and enlongated animal ears), but borrow from the standard design of OS-tan 2003 Server (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_OS-tans#2003_Server_.28Saba.29) in being half-girl, half-mackerel.
Popularity: drawn only by "Deja Vu". Considered to be extremely unwelcome "bootleg" OS-tan designs by Futaba members.
External links
- Anime/Manga artists with galleries of Firefox/Thunderbird/Opera mascots:
- temp_h [5] (http://www.pandora.nu/tempo-depot/)
- yoko [6] (http://susu.whitesnow.jp)
- karokaro [7] (http://cornervalley.net)
- inugamix [8] (http://inu.imagines.jp)
- Anime/Manga arists with general collections of unoffical or unassociated 'OS Girl' characters:
- Satoshi ("Toy") Igarashi [9] (http://www.toyboxarts.com/), and in particular the very popular iCandies (http://www.toyboxarts.com/gallery/numbers/pages/tb20e.html) images, based on the original iMac.
- The otakubell.com gallery of 'Other Mascots' [10] (http://www.otakubell.com/os-girls/Gallery/category.php?cat=3&expand=2)
- The Deja Vu Doujin Circle [11] (http://karin.sakura.ne.jp/~deja_vu/dejavu/os/)
- OS-tan (http://www.wakachan.org/os/wakaba.html) — An English non-Futaba 'OS-tan' Image Board.
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