Garfield, Tom, Sylvester and Felix, meet your new competitor, Doraemon.

According to TV Asahi Corp., Doraemon, the quintessential Japanese anime cat which first appeared in comic books in 1969, will make its debut in the U.S. this summer on the Disney XD channel.

The animation series has been broadcast in 35 countries, mainly in Asia. Doraemon's debut in the U.S. is a boost for the Japanese government, which has been promoting export of pop culture under the slogan "Cool Japan."

A spokeswoman at Walt Disney Japan Ltd. said that the U.S. company is excited about the agreement and honored to air the show.

Doraemon was created by a pair of animators who went by the name Fujiko Fujio. Its episodes regularly feature the robot cat helping the preteen protagonist of the series, Nobita Nobi, using futuristic gadgets that he pulls out his special pocket.

Some changes will be made for the U.S. episodes including the names of the characters and Doraemon's unique devices.

"Nobita will be renamed as Noby in the U.S. series," said a spokeswoman at TV Asahi, which airs the anime series in Japan and handled the negotiations with Disney. Takeshi Goda, Nobita's bullying friend better known as Gian, will be renamed Big G. Suneo Honekawa, another friend of Nobita's, will be simply referred to as Sneech.

Dokodemo Door, a device used by Doraemon that allows users to travel anywhere in the world instantly, will be renamed Anywhere Door. Doraemon's favorite dish, dorayaki or bean-jam pancakes, will be referred to as yummy buns, according to the spokeswoman.

Doraemon will air for 26 episodes on the Disney XD channel.