Basic Information

Created by Ritsuko Kawai, Hamtaro is an anime that circles around a bunch of cute and cuddly hamsters, whose main character is Hamtaro, the orange and white hamster owned by Laura Haruna(Hiroko Haruna in the Japanese version). Originally starting out as a book series, the show premiered in the year 2000 on TV-Tokyo Japan as "Tottoko Hamutaro". In the US, Cartoon Network started airing Hamtaro in 2002. Originally, the series was to be introduced on American TV under the title "Hamtaro Tales", but in the end, only the name "Hamtaro" stuck. Currently, there are over 250 episodes spanning 9 seasons of the show in Japan, coupled with 4 movies and 6 specials. Sadly, however, only 105 episodes of the show was ever released in the US, plus 3 specials (one special was a result of two edited together, and one was actually a season 4 episode edited into a special).

Merchandise for Hamtaro isn't hard to find. Nintendo has ported 4 of the 5 Japanese Hamtaro games (they passed on the first one - which, technically, is not much of a game, and some e-cards). Viz and Scholastic publishes Hamtaro books, Hasbro makes Hamtaro toys, and there is even a educational software title for the PC/Mac produced by Riverdeep. However, you could technically get better stuff in Japan. Apart from the books/comics(which is where Hamtaro originated) and music CDs (soundtracks and audio-books), there are standalone electronic games, talking toys, and storywares for the Sega Pico(yes, they are still being sold in Japan), and even a coin-operated kiddy ride(yes, the type in front of grocery stores).

Dramatis Personae (a.k.a. The characters)

• Hamtaro (Hamutaro, Hamutaro-kun) - The star of the show. Owned by Laura Haruna(Hiroko Haruna, Roko-chan), he is courageous and adventurous. 8.6cm tall, born August 6th.
• Bijou (Ribon-chan) - A recent resident of France, this white hamster is delicate and sweet. Owned by Maria, she is 7.5cm tall (although you can find plushes of her of up to 3 feet tall) and her birthday is the 10th of July.
• Boss (Taisho-kun) - He is tough and big, but he has a soft heart - especially for Bijou. He is a field hamster and is owned by no-one. He is 12cm tall, and his birthday is on September 21.
• Cappy (kaburu-kun) - Owned by Kip and Sue, he likes nothing better than to wear all sorts of stuff on his head - from pots and pans to (ewww!)shoes. He is 7.7cm tall, and like Hamtaro, is born on the 6th of August.
• Maxwell (Noppo-kun) - Owned by some bookstore owner, Maxwell is quite a bookworm. He is always studying, and is often seen carrying a book around. He is born November 5th, and is 10.5cm tall.
• Sandy (Torahamu-chan) - Very athletic and social, owned by Hillary. She enjoys twirling ribbons. Her birthday is on the 6th of June, and is 7.5cm tall.
• Stan (Torahamu-kun) - Sandy's twin brother. Owned by Noel, he is a rather cassanova hamster. He looks just like Sandy and can easily be mistaken for Sandy if you don't look around their back (hint:Stan has a normal tail, while Sandy's has a pony tail with a red ribbon attached). He is also born on the 6th of June, and like Sandy, is 7.5cm tall.
• Panda (Panda-kun) - He is caring, gentle, and very good at handyworks. Owned by Mimi, he enjoys building things that runs gamut from a simple table to an entire amusement park. He is born on April 8th and is 8.8cm tall.
• Pashmina (Mafura-chan) - Never without her favourite scarf, She is also very responsible, and is almost always seen with Penelope. She is ownwed by June, her birthday is September 16th, and she is 7.3cm tall.
• Penelope (Chibimaru-chan) - Only capable of saying two words in the English version of the show (Ookyou and ookwee), Penelope is owned by Kylie, and is rarely seen without the yellow blanket that she covers herself with (come to think of it, the only time I ever seen her without the blanket on is in the book "Tottoko Hamutaro- Himitsujiten #1" (and it's English translation, "The Offical Hamtaro Handbook"). She is born March 3rd, and is 6.2cm tall.
• Jingle (Tongari-kun) - A field hamster with no owner. Always with a guitar and a word of wisdom (well, okay, most of the time), Jingle was born on the 12th of December and is 8.5cm tall.
• Oxnard (Koushi-kun) - A grey hamster with an appetite, Oxnard belongs to Kana. He always carry a sunflower seed with him to ensure that the next meal is not too far away. He is 10cm tall and is born on the 3rd of May.
• Dexter (Megane-kun) - Owned by Curtis, an optician, Dexter doesn't really wear glasses, but has markings that looks rather like glasses on his face. He is well-mannered, and is the behavoural opposite of Howdy. He is born October 11th, and is 8.7cm tall.
• Howdy (Maido-kun) - Owned by Goldie who runs a grocery store, Howdy is the bearer of bad jokes, but is nontheless hardworking hamster. He is often at heads with Dexter over the attention of Pashmina. Born February 18th, he is 8.5cm tall.
• Snoozer (Neteru-kun) - Another field hamster who is owned by no one, Snoozer does what his name suggests best: he is always sleeping. Occasionally, he will sleep-talk and dispense words of wisdom or hints. He can usually be found with Boss. Snoozer was born on the 14th of January, and is 8.5cm tall (excluding the socks he usually sleeps in).
• Lapis (rapisu-chan, lapis-chan) - one of the two new characters introduced in Season 3. Sadly, they were only introduced in the GameBoy Advance game "Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games" and have yet to make their television debut outside Japan. Lapis is born July 9th.
• Lazuli (razuri-chan, lazuli-chan) - another of the two new characters introduced in season 3. Like Lapis, she has only made an apparence in the GameBoy Advance game "Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games" and have yet to make her television debut outside Japan. She is born on the 7th of September.

Many supporting hamsters have appeared on the show. Some are one-time, while others, like Elder Ham, Auntie Viv, Sabu and Sparkle, are recurring characters. Please see the Japanese Hamtaro website for more information on the Supporting hamsters.

• Herbert (Tonkichi) - A pig, Jingle's partner
• Brandy (Don-Chan, Burandon)- Laura's dog. Feminine name, but is actually a male. Usually seen sleeping, but some episodes does surround him.
• Francois - Sabu's pidgeon