Take-copter

Take-copter or Bamboo Copter ("The Hopter"in the US English dub and manga) is the most frequently used gadget in the Doraemon series. The name combines the words take tombo (bamboo dragonfly, the Japanese name for bamboo-copter), and herikoputa, meaning helicopter. The bamboo-copter is one of the most-if not the most-used gadgets in the series.

History

The history of the Take-copter can be briefly seen in the 2013 movie, Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum ~museum Adventure~.

The first Take-copter was big, has multiple propellers, and is worn on the body in similar fashion like Inspector Gadget's 'Helicopter Hat'. The first few prototypes were unfavorable, as they tend to break down, since it was very hard to support a person's weight. The propellers' size was almost the same size as a helicopter, plus its own large size, making it hard to carry around.

Later, the Take-copter design became much smaller and lighter. The first (known) smaller prototype looks like a safety hat with a big propeller that is almost the size of a bicycle's tire. The newer and current prototypes are the ones Doraemon and Dorami possess, which looks like a toy propeller and is also very light. The last known prototype's design is more compact, allowing easier portability.

Function

It is used to enable flight by attaching it to the user's head, similar to a propeller beanie. To fly you need to press the white button on top of the Take-copter. The Take-copter can be flown at a speed of 80 kilometers (49 miles) per hour. Despite its size, it can carry almost any person of any weight. The weight a Take-copter may carry is about 160 kg to 200 kg (about 350 lbs to 440 lbs). The battery for this gadget can run for maximum of 8 hours. How to use: Just imagine the direction and speed and your thought will transmitted to the machine. Tips: When you press the white button on top, you don’t need to turn it back on to fly again because the Take-copter is on already. Also, you don’t need to press the white button on top to stop flying.

18D7854F-8169-4B98-AFE8-0C7081C48F15 — The white button on top of the Take-copter.

Appearances in Games

Nobita and the Green Giant Legend DS

The Take-copter is one of Doraemon's Action Gadget. It allows Doraemon to fly around with it. It use battery, which may recharge again when not in used. When its battery ran out, Doraemon will descends slowly yet rather uncontrollably. A player may spam the Y button so that Doraemon may fly descends further forward. Unlike in the series and movies, Doraemon cannot use other gadgets whilst flying using the Take-copter, plus he cannot change character to Nobita, but can still summon Assist Characters.

The Take-copter is listed under number 32 out of 61 gadgets in the game.

Doraemon Wii: Secret Tool King Tournament

The Take-copter is a gadget that changes all of the dice's surfaces to have 6 dots. The Take-copter also appears in it's self-titled minigame and Hirari Manto.

Name Origin

Its Japanese name 'Take-copter' or 'タケコプター' is derived from 'タケ' (Bamboo) and 'コプター' (Copter).

Its English name 'Hopter' is derived from 'Hop' and 'Copter'.

Trivia

In the first chapter of the Doraemon manga, the Take-copter was called "Dragonfly Helicopter", but was changed to Take-copter afterwards.
Due to mistranslating, the Take-copter's name is different in almost every version of Doraemon.
- In the manga publications and anime dubbing by Tora Aman (Malaysian manga publication company), the Take-copter was known as:
  - "Buluh Terbang" (literally 'Flying Bamboo').
  - "Pepatung Buluh" (literally 'Bamboo Dragonfly' or 'Dragonfly Bamboo').
  - "Takekopter" (same pronunciation), the current accepted name. It is sometimes pronounced as "thay-key-copter" instead in anime dubbings.
- In the Hindi version, the Take-copter is called Bamboo-Copter. It was actually referred to as the take-copter (take pronounced like the regular English word 'take' and not 'Tā-kē') in some of the early episodes.
- In Thai, is it referred as "Bamboo Copter".
- In the Turkish version, the Take-copter doesn't have an official name, and is only referred to as "Propeller".
- In the American English manga and anime dub, it is called The Hopter.
- In the Indonesian version, it's called the "Baling-baling Bambu" (literally "Bamboo Propeller").
- In the Bengali dub it is referred to as Bāshēr Helicopter. The word 'Bāsh' (the 'a' pronounced as in 'dart' or 'car') means bamboo in Bengali, so Bāshēr Helicopter means bamboo helicopter.
- Almost every LUK Internacional dub uses a different name, with nearly all of them meaning a similar thing. For example, the Balearic and Mainland Catalan dubs call it the "casquet volador" (literally "Flying Cap") and the Galician dub calls it the "gorro coptero" (literally "Copter Cap"). It is currently unknown what it's called in the Basque dub, as the line where Doraemon announces the Take-copter's name in the intro was instead translated as "Bai, eiga de hori" (literally "Yes, that's it!").
- The Malaysian English dub's name for the gadget is unknown since the intro is sung with a heavy accent, though it can be presumed it is "Gadget Copter".
The Take-copter can be applied to any part of the body, but is usually worn on the head.
The Take-copter also has different colors. In 2112: The Birth of Doraemon, the yellow-colored Doraemons use green Take-copters, and Dorami uses a pink Take-copter.
The Take-copter from the 1973 anime has bigger suction cup and an antenna shaped centre-piece. Also, its name was Heritonbo (ヘリトンボ) then, name used in the early manga.
It also has a brown colored line that surrounding the underside of the suction cup in Stand by Me Doraemon
A similar device to Take-copter is used by Shippo from Inuyasha in episode 164, albeit powered by his fox magic instead of machinery.

"Take-copter" in Inuyasha