Doraemon was first published in six children's magazines in December 1969. It focused on the everyday life of Nobita, the main character, and how Doraemon uses gadgets from the future to help Nobita with problems at school or in the neighborhood, though Nobita often ignores Doraemon's advice and makes problems worse. The original 1973 Doraemon anime was unpopular but a 1979 anime by Shin-Ei Animation was very successful. Co-creator Fujimoto Hiroshi died in 1996 and co-author Motoo Abiko said they separated because they wanted to go their own ways creatively.