hamtaro

{{About|the manga and storybook series|the video game series|Hamtaro (video game series)}}

{{Infobox animanga/Header

| name = Hamtaro

| image = Hamtaro cover.jpg

| caption = Cover of the first children's book featuring Hamtaro

| ja_kanji = とっとこハム太郎

| ja_romaji = Tottoko Hamutarō{{cite book|last=Clements|first=Jonathan|title=The Anime Encyclopedia|year=2006|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|location=California|isbn=978-1933330105|author2=McCarthy, Helen}}

| genre =

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Print

| type = manga

| author = Ritsuko Kawai

| publisher = Shogakukan

| demographic = Shōjo

| imprint =

| magazine = Ciao

| first = 1997

| last = 2000

| volumes = 3

| volume_list =

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video

| type = ova

| director = Tomomi Mochizuki

| producer = {{ubl|Kazuhiko Kurokawa|Tadahito Matsumoto}}

| writer = Tomomi Mochizuki

| music = Motoyoshi Iwasaki

| studio = TMS-Kyokuichi

| licensee =

| released = 15 September 1999

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video

| type = tv series

| director = Osamu Nabeshima

| producer =

| writer = {{ubl|Shinzo Fujita|Yoshiyuki Suga|Miho Maruo|Atsuhiro Tomioka|Fumihiko Shimo|Koji Miura|Toshiyasu Nagata|Michiru Shimada{{cite web|url=https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/hamutaro/|title=テレビ東京・あにてれとっとこハム太郎|language=ja|publisher=tv-tokyo.co.jp|accessdate=21 August 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213033427/http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/hamutaro/|archive-date=13 December 2020}}}}

| music = {{ubl|Motoyoshi Iwasaki (JP)|Tom Keenlyside|John Mitchell|David Iris (U.S.)}}

| studio = TMS Entertainment

| licensee = {{English anime licensee

| CA = Alliance Atlantis

| NA = Viz Media

| NL = Bridge Entertainment Group

}}

| network = TXN (TV Tokyo)

| network_en = {{english anime network

| AU = Network Ten, Cartoon Network

| CA = YTV

| HK = TVB

| NZ = TV3

| PH = GMA Network, TV5

| UK = Fox Kids

| US = Cartoon Network (Toonami)

}}

| first = 7 July 2000

| last = 31 March 2006

| episodes = {{ubl|296 (Japanese)|105 (English)}}

| episode_list = List of Hamtaro episodes

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video

| type = ova

| director = {{ubl|Osamu Nabeshima (1, 4)|Kazuhiro Ochi (2, 3)}}

| producer =

| writer = {{ubl|Michiru Shimada (1)|Tomoko Konparu (2)|Kouji Miura (3, 4)}}

| music = Motoyoshi Iwasaki

| studio = TMS Entertainment

| licensee =

| first = 6 August 2001

| last = 6 August 2004

| runtime =

| episodes = 4

| episode_list = List of Hamtaro episodes#OVAs

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video

| type = film series

| director = Osamu Dezaki

| producer = {{ubl|Masato Matsumoto|Yuoh Sekita}}

| writer = {{ubl|Osamu Dezaki (1)|Michiru Shimada (1, 2)|Tomoko Konparu (3, 4)}}

| music = Motoyoshi Iwasaki

| studio = TMS Entertainment

| licensee =

| first = 15 December 2001

| last = 23 December 2004

| runtime = 50 minutes each

| episodes = 4

| episode_list = List of Hamtaro episodes#Films

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video

| type = tv series

| title = Trotting Hamtaro Hai!

| director = Osamu Nabeshima

| producer =

| writer = Yoshiyuki Suga

| music = Motoyoshi Iwasaki

| studio = TMS Entertainment

| licensee =

| network = TXN (TV Tokyo)

| network_en =

| first = 5 April 2006

| last = 26 March 2008

| episodes = 77

| episode_list = List of Trotting Hamtaro Hai! episodes

}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video

| type = tv series

| title = Trotting Hamtaro Dechu!

| director = Osamu Nabeshima

| producer =

| writer =

| music =

| studio = TMS Entertainment

| licensee =

| network = TXN (TV Tokyo)

| network_en =

| first = 2 April 2011

| last = 30 March 2013

| episodes = 103

}}

Hamtaro, known in Japan as {{Nihongo|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 Shōgaku Ninensei (Second Grade) magazine in April 1997;[https://sho.jp/hamutaro/yomimono/16611 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）] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212358/https://sho.jp/hamutaro/yomimono/16611 |date=20 September 2021 }} (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 September 2021. 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.[https://www.amazon.com/dp/1569318174 Hamtaro Gets Lost and Other Stories (The Adventures of Hamtaro, Vol. 2)] Amazon.com[https://www.amazon.com/dp/1569318182 The Adventures of Hamtaro, Vol. 3: Jealous Hamtaro and Other Stories] Amazon.com

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/Original version). 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 films, several specials, many video game/DVD releases, and merchandise. By 2002, the franchise had generated $2.5 billion in merchandise sales.{{cite web|first=Christopher|last=Macdonald|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-05-20/hamtaro-launch-event|title=Hamtaro Launch Event|website=Anime News Network|date=20 May 2002|access-date=25 May 2019}} 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 Trotting Hamtaro Dechu!.{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-02-23/tottoko-hamtaro-dechu-tv-anime-to-premiere-in-april |title=Tottoko Hamtarō Dechu TV Anime to Premiere in April|date=24 May 2024 }}

= 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.

class="wikitable"

|+

!Title

!Platform

!Release Date

Tottoko Hamtaro: Tomodachi Daisakusen Dechu

|Game Boy Color{{Cite web|url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/201810/21165560.html|title=【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|website=ファミ通.com|date=21 October 2018 |language=ja|access-date=2018-11-16}}

|JP: 8 September 2000

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{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/gameboy-advance/hamtaro-ham-ham-heartbreak/release-info|title=Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (2002) Game Boy Advance release dates - MobyGames|website=MobyGames|access-date=2018-11-16}}
NA: 8 April 2003

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! Ham-Ham Training

|Nintendo DS

|JP: 15 March 2007

NA: 23 September 2008

Hi Hamtaro! Little Hamsters Big Adventures

|iOS

|12 April 2011

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!"{{Cite news|date=2020-07-26|title='Delicious taxes': Thai protesters use Japanese cartoon hamster to mock government|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-protests-idUSKCN24R0ID|access-date=2020-07-26}} Other student protests during the same week continued to use 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.{{Cite news|date=2020-08-01|title=Hamster hero? How a Japanese cartoon became Thai youth protesters' symbol|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-protests-cartoon-idUSKBN24X3LQ|access-date=2020-08-02}}{{Cite news|last=Tan|first=Yvette|date=2020-08-01|title=Why young people are protesting in Thailand|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53589899|access-date=2020-08-02}}

Reception

In TV Asahi's poll of the Top 100 Anime, Hamtaro came in 68th.{{cite web |last=Macdonald |first=Christopher |date=2005 |title=TV Asahi Top 100 Anime |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-09-23/tv-asahi-top-100-anime |website=Anime News Network |location=United States |publisher=Kadokawa Corporation}}