Hamtaro

2026-06-05T20:33:41Z

2601:188:C601:B410:BC1E:10F5:5126:6279:

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[[File:Hamutaro.JPG|thumb|right|It's Hamtaro!!]]
'''''Hamtaro''''', known in Japan as {{Nihongo|'''''Trotting Hamtaro'''''|とっとこハム太郎|Tottoko Hamutarō}}, is a Japanese children's [[manga]] and storybook series created and illustrated by [[Ritsuko Kawai]] about a young [[hamster]] named Hamtaro, who goes on a variety of adventures with his friends, called the "Ham-Hams" ("Hamuchans" in the Japanese version).

== Plot ==

A female Japanese 5th-grader named Laura Haruna (Hiroko Haruna and Natsumi in the Japanese/Original version) owns Hamtaro, a [[domestic]] orange and white hamster. After moving into a new town, Hamtaro finds that he's in the company of lots of different hamsters, making up a group of hamster friends that go on crazy adventures through the city. Curious by nature, Hamtaro 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").

Before they save Laura and other [[human]]s from nasty predicaments, however, they have to learn how to save themselves.

== History ==

The manga series was first serialized in [[W:Shogakukan|Shogakukan]]'s ''Shōgaku Ninensei'' (''Second Grade'') magazine in April 1997; more ''Hamtaro'' stories would later be added into the other grade-level magazines, as well as in ''[[Ciao (magazine)|Ciao]]'' magazine in 1997 and has been adapted into multiple anime series. Viz Media published some of the manga adaptations in English, releasing three volumes in North America: ''A Home for Hamtaro'', ''Hamtaro Gets Lost'', and ''Jealous Hamtaro''.

''Hamtaro'' first appeared in a 1997 book called ''[[A Home for Hamtaro & Other Stories]]'', and since then, multiple anime adaptations were produced by [[W:TMS Entertainment|TMS Entertainment]] and aired on [[W:TV Tokyo|TV Tokyo]]. The first direct-to-video 4-episode series titled ''Tottoko Hamutaro Anime Dechu!'' (とっとこハム太郎アニメでちゅ!) was released on September 15, 1999, before the TV series first premiered in Japan as ''Tottoko Hamutaro'' (とっとこハム太郎) on July 7th, 2000 on [[W:TV Tokyo|TV Tokyo]], followed by a sequel series of 3D 77 5-minute shorts, titled ''Tottoko Hamutaro Hai!'' (とっとこハム太郎は〜い!) in 2006, and ''Tottoko Hamutaro: Dechu'' (とっとこハム太郎でちゅ) in 2011, which features re-airings of the original episodes with various slight additions and alterations, including two new episodes exclusively created that aired in 2012.

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.

In the 2000s, Japanese toy manufacturer Epoch released a series of figures based on the series, alongside furniture, toys and playsets. With over 150 unique figures produced across multiple regions. The series went on to feature almost every character from the series, including ones from the manga and video games. They were distributed in North America by [[W:Hasbro|Hasbro]], and also saw release in Italy and China, as well as kid's meal toys released by [[W:Burger King|Burger King]] and [[W:McDonald's|McDonald's]], including trading cards.

The series became so popular that it spawned four anime movies, all of which were originally attached to the Japanese theatrical releases, and as part of a collaborative effort between Shogakukan and Toho, the first three movies were released as double features and collaborative promotional pairings in theaters with the respective ''[[Wikipedia:Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' movies in the 2000s which consist of: {{Nihongo|''Hamtaro: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land''|とっとこハム太郎ハムハムランド大冒険| ''Tottoko Hamutaro: Hamu Hamu Land Daibouken''}} with ''[[W:Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' in 2001, {{Nihongo|''Hamtaro: The Captive Princess''|とっとこハム太郎ハムハムハムージャ! 幻のプリンセス|''Tottoko Hamutaro: Ham Ham Ham~Jya! Maboroshi no Princess''}} with ''[[W:Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla|Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]'' in 2002, and {{Nihongo|''Hamtaro: Miracle in Aurora Valley''|とっとこハム太郎ハムハムグランプリンオーロラ谷の奇跡リボンちゃん危機一髪!|''Tottoko Hamutaro: Hamuhamu Guran Purin Orora Tani no Kiseki Ribon-chan Kikiippatsu!''}} with ''[[W:Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' in 2003, while {{Nihongo|''Hamtaro: Fairy Tale''|とっとこハム太郎はむはむぱらだいちゅ! ハム太郎とふしぎのオニの絵本塔|''Tottoko Hamutaro Hamu Hamu Paradaichu!: Hamutaro to Fushigi no Oni no Ehon Tou''}} was released with ''[[W:Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island| Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island]]'' in 2004 in theaters, with each ticket coming with a keychain figure of Hamtaro wearing colorful [[W:Godzilla|Godzilla]], [[W:Mothra|Mothra]] and [[W:Mechagodzilla|Mechagodzilla]] costumes for the each of the three movies and related merchandise, which returned in 2021 after a hiatus. In addition to the series being the theatrical partner of the ''Godzilla'' franchise at the time, was also referenced ''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla'', where one of the young girls is modeled after Laura Haruna; wearing a near-identical outfit with pigtails, and carrying a golden hamster in its cage which also references the main character Hamtaro whom she owns, along with the set for her room is modeled after Laura's room in the anime, and in some background scenes of the same film, there is a billboard stating "Hamu no Taro Foods", which even further references the series.

The [[W:Fuji-Q Highland|Fuji-Q Highland]] Japanese amusement park also features an area and section with attractions for children themed around ''Hamtaro'', called the "Ham-Ham Doki Doki Kingdom", alongside a hamster mascot named Fuji-Q that opened in July 2003 and closed in June 2017 due to licensing issues.

The franchise has a number of special events, cafés, live shows, music videos, direct-to-video specials, and even as a series of video game titles with independent storylines. These titles include adventure games for the Sega Pico, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS, including ''Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge'', and four others being released for the computer with one of them being an educational game titled ''Hamtaro: Wake Up Snoozer!'', and a discontinued mobile game, which was available for [[W:iOS|iOS]], and some of them, along with other media, were released outside of Japan.

On July 26, 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!" 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, as part of an event called "Let's run, Hamtaro" was organised at the Democracy Monument in Thailand. Having begun in a protest at Triam Udom Suksa School in Bangkok, but later spread, and eventually gathered around 3,000 people.

In 2026, the first official permanent themed store and gift shop dedicated to the series opened in Japan, called the "Tottoko Hamtown Shop", sells both Japanese and North American merchandise.

During Hamtaro's success in Japan, [[W:Mini Moni|Mini Moni]] made a group for Hamtaro's anime called '''''MiniHamuzu''''' ('''''Mini Hams'''''). The series came to Poland as ''[[Hamtaro – wielkie przygody małych chomików]]'', then in Italy as ''[[Hamtaro, Piccoli Criceti Grande Avventure]]'' and then [[W:VIZ Media|VIZ Media]] picked up ''Hamtaro'' for the US, making its debut on [[Cartoon Network]]'s ''[[W:Toonami|Toonami]]'' action block on June 3, 2002. However, only 105 of the 296 episodes were aired in the English dub by [[W:Ocean Productions|The Ocean Group]], while the remaining 191 were left undubbed due to poor scheduling and prime time, such as airing around certain hours on school days and possibly declining popularity and profitability, and wasn't making enough money for VIZ Media or Cartoon Network, leading them to stop localization efforts.

== See also ==

* [[W:Hamtaro|Hamtaro]] on [[Wikipedia]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.hamutaro.com/top.html ''Hamutaro''] - ''Hamtaro'' official website (Japanese)
* [http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/hamutaro/ ''Hamutaro''] - ''Hamtaro'' official website (Japanese <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[W:TV Tokyo|TV Tokyo]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>)
* [http://www.hamtaro.com/ Hamtaro.com] - ''Hamtaro'' official website (English)

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[[Category:Animated series]]
[[Category:Story series]]
[[Category:Hamster characters]]
[[Category:Anime]]
[[Category:Manga]]
[[Category:1997 births]]
[[it:Hamtaro]]

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