Hamtaro

2026-02-15T21:49:17Z

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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 [[hamster]] named Hamtaro, who goes on a variety of adventures with his friends, called the "Ham-Hams" ("Hamuchans" in the Japanese version).

== Overview ==

The manga series was first serialized in [[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''.

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!'' was released on September 15, 1999, a television series released in 2000, a sequel series of 3D 77 5-minute shorts, titled ''Tottoko Hamutaro Hai!'' in 2006, and a ''Tottoko Hamutaro: Dechu'' 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.

''Hamtaro'' first appeared in a 1997 book called ''[[A Home for Hamtaro & Other Stories]]'', before the 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]].

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.

The series became so popular that it spawned four [[anime]] movies, all of which were originally attached to the Japanese theatrical releases as double features and promotional pairings in theaters with three of them being released with the respective ''[[W:Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' movies in the 2000s which consist of: {{Nihongo|''Tottoko Hamutarō: Hamu Hamu Land Daibouken''|とっとこハム太郎ハムハムランド大冒険|''Hamtaro: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land''}} 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 Hamutarō: 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 Hamutarō: 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 Hamutarō 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 in red, green, or blue colors of the Godzilla costume for the three movies.

The franchise has 9 video game titles with independent storylines. These titles include 7 handheld adventure games for Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS, one educational computer game titled ''Hamtaro: Wake Up Snoozer!'', and a discontinued mobile game, ''Hi Hamtaro! Little Hamsters Big Adventures'' which was available for [[W:iOS|iOS]].

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]]'' 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 possibly declining popularity and profitability, and wasn't making enough money for VIZ Media or Cartoon Network, leading them to stop localization efforts.

== Plot ==

A female Japanese 5th-grader named Laura Haruna (Hiroko Haruna and Natsumi in the Japanese/Original version) owns Hamtaro, a [[domestic]] 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.

== 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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