Dooly (character)
Baby dinosaur with alien powers and a resident registration card.
Dooly is the titular character of the South Korean media franchise Dooly the Little Dinosaur, created by cartoonist Kim Soo-jung. He is an anthropomorphic baby dinosaur who was kidnapped by aliens, given supernatural powers, and later trapped in a glacier during the Ice Age before arriving in Seoul. Dooly is a commercially successful character in South Korean animation and was made a citizen of South Korea, receiving a resident registration card.
- species
- Ceratosaurus
- height
- 4 feet 6 inches
- first_appearance
- 1983 (manhwa serialization)
- creator
- Kim Soo-jung
- nationality
- South Korean
- known_for
- Being a commercially successful animated character and honorary South Korean citizen
Lore & Background
Dooly has three friends: Heedong Park, who lives with Uncle Gildong and is not afraid of anything; Douner, the prince of Planet Kanttappia, who can travel through time and space in a violin-shaped spaceship; and Ddochi, an ostrich who escaped from a Las Vegas circus and insists she is a noble mistress from Africa. Michael, an aspiring singer based on Michael Jackson, lives next door. Dooly once joined a band with Douner and Michael. Dooly's superpowers sometimes turn against him, such as when he turns Gildong into a dinosaur and sends him to the Amazon.
Reader's Guide
Dooly is a central figure in South Korean popular culture, originating as a manhwa serialized from 1983 to 1993 and expanding into a television series and animated film. The character's commercial success led to his being granted South Korean citizenship and a resident registration card, and a dinosaur species, Doolysaurus, was named after him in 2026. The original 1987–1988 TV animation faced criticism from some South Korean Catholics, citizens, and the government for perceived violence and disrespect toward elders, though younger generations view it fondly as a realistic portrayal of family dynamics. The character Michol later drew controversy for his appearance being likened to blackface, notably after an SNL Korea and Apink skit. Dooly's legacy includes an official 1995 sequel, Baby Saurus Dolly, and continued rebroadcasts of the original series through 2006. The character remains a nostalgic icon, with songs from the animation, such as 'Soap Bubbles,' being covered in later media like the 2023 drama Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938.
Did You Know?
- Dooly was made an official citizen of South Korea and given a resident registration card.
- A Korean dinosaur species, Doolysaurus, was named after the character in 2026.
- Dooly's name is a pun: his older sister is Hana (One), and Dool means Two in Korean.
- Dooly has five fingers on each hand, unlike a real Ceratosaurus which has three functional fingers and a reduced fourth digit.
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