Ritsuko Kawai
{{Short description|Japanese manga artist (born 1964)}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2010}}
{{Infobox person
| name= Ritsuko Kawai
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|3|3}}
| birth_place = Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
| nationality =
| known_for= Hamtaro
}}
{{nihongo|Ritsuko Kawai|河井 リツ子|Kawai Ritsuko|born March 3, 1964}} is a Japanese manga artist known as the creator of the Hamtaro franchise.
Career
= Hamtaro =
Kawai originally created Hamtaro as storybooks for children{{cite news|last=Keveney|first=Bill|title=Heeeere's 'Hamtaro'; Japanese 'toon hits the USA|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/124633511.html?dids=124633511:124633511&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+10,+2002&author=Bill+Keveney&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Heeeere%27s+%27Hamtaro%27+;+Japanese+%27toon+hits+the+USA&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131143713/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/124633511.html?dids=124633511:124633511&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+10,+2002&author=Bill+Keveney&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Heeeere's+'Hamtaro'+;+Japanese+'toon+hits+the+USA&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|accessdate=29 December 2010|newspaper=USA Today|date=10 June 2002|page=D.3}} first published in 1997 and adapted into an anime television series in Japan in July 2000.
Hamtaro is about a little hamster and his friends. Hamtaro gained great popularity and was made into an anime series and a line of merchandising. However, the animated show has since been cancelled.
Kawai has had a say in the message that Hamtaro promoted, which was non-violence, teamwork, cooperation and sharing.
Hamtaro has also been made into many different games for Nintendo handheld systems such as the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.
= Other works =
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Anime and manga|Biography|Children's literature}}
- {{anime News Network|people|7025}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawai, Ritsuko}}
Category:People from Toyonaka, Osaka
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