is a Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series created by

Fujiko A. Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known ...

(the pen name for Motoo Abiko) in 1989 which ran for 200 episodes and was translated into many languages - Chinese, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Abiko also adapted the series into a

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

Synopsis

While playing in his world Henbee fell down through a tunnel in a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

and woke up in the human world inside a closet of a kid named Maruko. The tunnel is closed, preventing him from returning to his home world. Henbee possesses a magical

parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...

and with it he can fly and do magic, he also can speak to animals and fulfill everyone's dreams. Soon Henbee and Maruko become friends, and Henbee gets to help him out while staying at Maruko's house. Occasionally the tunnel back to his home world opens and animals and friends from his home world come through. Later when Henbee gets the chance to return to his home world, he hesitates due to his friendship with Maruko. Later in the series Henbee and Maruko travel to his home world with Henbee's magical Parasol.

Characters

* Henbee (Voiced by: Meiko Nakamura) – The main character of the series. A mysterious small talking pink

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...

-like creature. He has a magical parasol and with it he can fly and do magic, he also can speak to animals and fulfill everyones dreams. * Maruko (Voiced by:

Junko Hori is a Japanese actress and voice actress represented by Production Baobab. She is known as the voice of the protagonists in 3 Fujiko Fujio works, ''Obake no Q-tarō'', ''Ninja Hattori-kun'', and ''Chimpui''. As a dub artist she is known for the r ...

) – * Megeru (Voiced by:

Noriko Hidaka , better known by the stage name of , is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and narrator. She played Minami Asakura in ''Touch'', Akane Tendo in ''Ranma ½'', Satsuki Kusakabe in ''My Neighbor Totoro'', Near in '' Death Note'', Jean Roque ...

) – * Abuko (Voiced by:

Rei Sakuma is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and narrator from Tokyo, Japan. She is best known in Japan for her voice work in the long running children's series ''Soreike! Anpanman''; her most famous role in the English-speaking world, however, i ...

) – * Izumi (Voiced by:

) – * Memosuke (Voiced by: Ryusei Nakao) – * Gorita (Voiced by:

Tesshō Genda is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, . as artist name. Because he had experience with ballet, he was known by the nickname "Pirouette Gend ...

) –

External links

* 1989 anime television series debuts 1990 video games 1991 manga 1991 video games Adventure anime and manga Comedy anime and manga Epoch Co. games Fantasy anime and manga Fujiko Fujio A NHK original programming Game Boy games Japan-exclusive video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Platform games Shōnen manga Video games based on anime and manga Video games developed in Japan {{Anime-television-series-stub