| Hamtaro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Cover of the first book featuring the titular protagonist, Hamtaro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| とっとこハム太郎 (Tottoko Hamutarō[1]) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Manga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by | Ritsuko Kawai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by | Shogakukan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Magazine | Ciao | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original run | 1997 –2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volumes | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Anime and manga portal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hamtaro, known in Japan asTrotting Hamtaro (とっとこハム太郎,Tottoko Hamutarō), is a Japanese children'smanga and storybook series created and illustrated byRitsuko Kawai about a hamster named Hamtaro. The manga was serialized inShogakukan'sShōgaku Ninensei (Second Grade) magazine in April 1997;[3] moreHamtaro stories would later be added into the other grade-level magazines, as well as inCiao. The series focuses on ahamster 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 byTMS Entertainment and aired onTV Tokyo. The first series was dubbed in English byThe Ocean Group.
The series revolves around a hamster named Hamtaro, who is owned by a young 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").
There are three manga about Hamtaro,A Home for Hamtaro,Hamtaro Gets Lost, andJealous Hamtaro. In the first two, Hamtaro's owner is named Yukari while in the latter, her name is Amy.
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.[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 thatHamtaro would be receiving a series titledTrotting Hamtaro Dechu!.[7]
The Hamtaro franchise has multiple video game titles with independent storylines. These titles includeadventure andeducational games that can be found for PC,Game Boy Color,Game Boy Advance (GBA), and theNintendo 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: 7 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! Ham-Ham Training | Nintendo DS | JP: 15 March 2007 NA: 23 September 2008 |
| Hi Hamtaro! Little Hamsters Big Adventures | iOS | 12 April 2011 |
On 26 July 2020, a group of more than 2,000 protesters inBangkok called the Free Youth Movement led a protest against the government ofThailand which involved singing the theme song forHamtaro with modified lyrics to say "The most delicious food is taxpayers' money. [...]Dissolve the parliament! Dissolve the parliament! Dissolve the parliament!"[10] Otherstudent 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.[11][12]
InTV Asahi's poll of the Top 100 Anime,Hamtaro came in 68th.[13]
