Hamtaro
Hamtaro | |
とっとこハム太郎 (Tottoko Hamutarō[1]) | |
---|---|
Genre | Adventure, comedy, slice of life |
Manga | |
Written by | Ritsuko Kawai |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Magazine | Ciao |
Demographic | Shōjo |
Original run | 1997 – 2000 |
Volumes | 3 |
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Tomomi Mochizuki |
Produced by | Kazuhiko Kurokawa Tadahito Matsumoto |
Written by | Tomomi Mochizuki |
Music by | Motoyoshi Iwasaki |
Studio | TMS Entertainment |
Released | 1 August 1999 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Osamu Nabeshima |
Written by | Shinzo Fujita Yoshiyuki Suga Miho Maruo Atsuhiro Tomioka Fumihiko Shimo Koji Miura Toshiyasu Nagata Michiru Shimada[2] |
Music by | Motoyoshi Iwasaki (JP) Tom Keenlyside John Mitchell David Iris (U.S.) |
Studio | TMS Entertainment |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
English network | |
Original run | 7 July 2000 – 31 March 2006 |
Episodes | 296 (Japanese) 105 (English) |
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Osamu Nabeshima (1,4) Kazuhiro Ochi (2,3) |
Written by | Michiru Shimada (1) Tomoko Konparu (2) Kouji Miura (3,4) |
Music by | Motoyoshi Iwasaki |
Studio | TMS Entertainment |
Released | 6 August 2001 – 6 August 2004 |
Episodes | 4 |
Anime film series | |
Directed by | Osamu Dezaki |
Produced by | Masato Matsumoto Yuoh Sekita |
Written by | Osamu Dezaki (1) Michiru Shimada (1, 2) Tomoko Konparu (3, 4) |
Music by | Motoyoshi Iwasaki |
Studio | TMS Entertainment |
Released | 15 December 2001 – 23 December 2004 |
Runtime | 50 minutes each |
Films | 4 |
Anime television series | |
Trotting Hamtaro Hai! | |
Directed by | Osamu Nabeshima |
Written by | Yoshiyuki Suga |
Music by | Motoyoshi Iwasaki |
Studio | TMS Entertainment |
Original network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
Original run | 5 April 2006 – 26 March 2008 |
Episodes | 77 |
Anime television series | |
Trotting Hamtaro Dechu! | |
Directed by | Osamu Nabeshima |
Studio | TMS Entertainment |
Original network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
Original run | 2 April 2011 – 30 March 2013 |
Episodes | 103 |
Hamtaro, known in Japan as Trotting Hamtaro (とっとこハム太郎, Tottoko Hamutarō), is a Japanese manga and storybook series created and illustrated by Ritsuko Kawai about a hamster. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's "Second Grade" magazine in April 1997;[3] more Hamtaro stories would later be added into the other grade-level magazines, as well as in Ciao. The series focuses on a hamster named Hamtaro, who has a variety of adventures with other hamsters known as the "Ham-Hams" ("Hamuchans" in the Japanese version). Viz Media published the manga adaptations and storybooks in English.[4][5]
Multiple anime adaptations were produced by TMS Entertainment and aired on TV Tokyo. The first series was dubbed in English by The Ocean Group.
Plot[]
The series revolves around a hamster named Hamtaro, who is owned by a 10-year-old girl named Laura Haruna (Hiroko Haruna in the Japanese dub). Curious by nature, he ventures out each day to make friends and go on adventures with a clan of fellow hamster friends known as The Ham-Hams. The Ham-Hams meet at a special clubhouse built by Boss ("Taisho").
Media[]
Manga[]
There are three manga about Hamtaro, A Home for Hamtaro, Hamtaro Gets Lost, and Jealous Hamtaro. In the first two, Hamtaro's owner is named Yukari while in the latter, her name is Amy.
Anime[]
In Japan, Hamtaro aired three anime series, released four movies, several specials, many video game/DVD releases and merchandise. By 2002, the franchise had generated $2.5 billion in merchandise sales.[6] The success was not paralleled in the United States, however, with only the first series, some special episodes, three video games (though two others were released in Europe), and limited merchandise. On 23 February 2011, it was announced that Hamtaro would be receiving a series titled Tottoko Hamtaro Dechu.[7]
Games[]
The Hamtaro franchise has multiple video game titles with independent storylines. These titles include adventure and educational games that can be found for PC, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance (GBA), and the Nintendo DS consoles.
Title | Platform | Release Date |
---|---|---|
Tottoko Hamtaro: Tomodachi Daisakusen Dechu | Game Boy Color[8] | JP: 8 September 2000[8] |
Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! | Game Boy Color | JP: 21 April 2001
NA: 28 October 2002 |
Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak | Game Boy Advance | JP: 3 May 2002[9]
NA: 8 April 2003[9] |
Hamtaro: Wake Up Snoozer! | PC/Mac | 1 October 2003 |
Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue | Game Boy Advance | 22 May 2003 |
Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games | Game Boy Advance | 26 July 2004 |
Tottoko Hamtaro: Nazo Nazo Q Kumonoue no ? Jou | Nintendo DS | 1 December 2005 |
Hi Hamtaro! Little Hamsters Big Adventure | Nintendo DS | 23 September 2008 |
In popular culture[]
On 26 July 2020, a group of more than 2,000 protesters in Bangkok called the Free Youth Movement, led a protest against the government of Thailand which involved singing the theme song for Hamtaro with modified lyrics to say "The most delicious food is taxpayers’ money. [...]Dissolve the parliament! Dissolve the parliament! Dissolve the parliament!"[10] Other student protests during the same week have continued using Hamtaro as a symbol for the government's "feasting on taxpayer's money," and have involved groups running in circles, as if in hamster wheels, while singing the modified version of the jingle.[11][12]
References[]
- ^ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia. California: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1933330105.
- ^ "テレビ東京・あにてれ とっとこハム太郎" (in Japanese). tv-tokyo.co.jp. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ よみもの「ハムスターが やってきた」(とっとこハム太郎・連載一回目) (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Hamtaro Gets Lost and Other Stories (The Adventures of Hamtaro, Vol. 2) Amazon.com
- ^ The Adventures of Hamtaro, Vol. 3: Jealous Hamtaro and Other Stories Amazon.com
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (20 May 2002). "Hamtaro Launch Event". Anime News Network. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ "Tottoko Hamtarō Dechu TV Anime to Premiere in April".
- ^ Jump up to: a b "【GBC20周年企画(2)】いちばん売れたゲームボーイカラー専用ソフトは『遊☆戯☆王DM4』! では2位は? GBC専用ソフト販売ランキングTOP10! - ファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (2002) Game Boy Advance release dates - MobyGames". MobyGames. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "'Delicious taxes': Thai protesters use Japanese cartoon hamster to mock government". Reuters. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Hamster hero? How a Japanese cartoon became Thai youth protesters' symbol". Reuters. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ Tan, Yvette (1 August 2020). "Why young people are protesting in Thailand". BBC News. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hamtaro. |
- Hamtaro Official Japanese site (in Japanese)
- TV Tokyo Tottoko Hamutaro Dechu Website (in Japanese)
- Hamtaro (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Hamtaro at IMDb
- 2020 Thai protesters singing Hamtaro's jingle with modified lyrics
- Manga series
- 1997 manga
- 1999 anime OVAs
- 2000 anime television series
- 2001 anime OVAs
- 2006 anime television series
- 2011 anime television series
- Hamtaro
- 2000 Japanese television series debuts
- 2006 Japanese television series endings
- 2000s fads and trends
- Animated television series about mammals
- Fictional hamsters
- Shogakukan franchises
- Shogakukan manga
- Shōjo manga
- Toonami
- TMS Entertainment
- TV Tokyo original programming
- Viz Media anime