is a 1993 Japanese children's

slice of life Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events in a characte ...

anime is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

series primarily aimed at

preschoolers A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

and animated by Pierrot Plus based on the '' Kodomo Challenge'' Educational Learning Program created by

Benesse is a Japanese company which focuses on correspondence education and publishing. Based in Okayama-City, it is the parent company of Berlitz Language Schools, which in turn is the parent company of ELS Language Centers. Benesse is listed on the ...

in 1988. It is created and directed by veteran director Hisayuki Toriumi (''

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a Japanese animated franchise about a five-member superhero ninja team created by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The original anime series, which debuted in 1972, was eponymously entitled ''Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatcham ...

'') and character designs by Shigehito Tsuji. It aired at

TV Setouchi (TSC) is a TV station in Japan. It is one of the TX Network (TXN) stations, broadcasting in Okayama Prefecture and Kagawa Prefecture, and it is the only TXN TV station in the Chugoku-Shikoku region. Anime produced TV Setouchi produced a few a ...

and in all TXN TV networks in Japan from December 13, 1993, to March 31, 2008.

Overview

''Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō'' was officially created after Benesse and TV Setouchi both decided to adapt the Learning Program series into a full-fledged series for television, with part of the staff being former

Tatsunoko Production and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and "sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are i ...

director Hisayuki Toriumi and music composer Shin'ya Naitō. It was officially animated by Studio Pierrot's sister company, Pierrot Plus and premiered on December 13, 1993. The series ended after it aired its final episode on March 31, 2008, as the second series aired, alongside the children's variety series . All of the later episodes of the series were aired in the variety series in the later years which also includes

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

segments.

Theme and elements

The overall theme surrounding the series all revolves in Shimajirō's life as a preschooler and all the lessons he needs to learn in a daily basis such as making friends, saying sorry, making a resolve and others that reflects to the preschool demographic. Also educational elements such as planting flowers, how to use the toilet for the first time, helping others and learning in kindergarten is also applied. The anime's overall elements are all based on the ''Kodomo Challenge'' series, with the storyline being completely original from the source material.

Setting

The anime is officially set in the fictional located somewhere in the world. The island, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, is suburban and very self-sufficient in resources. Various animal characters in the island vary as well as their culture such as the Mole People who live under the island or the Squirrel people who always hibernate during winter. Various means of transport as well as subways exist in the island. Aside from the animal characters, some characters such as Witches and Fairies exist in the island.

Story

The entire series focuses on Shimajiro Shimano, a curious tiger boy living in Challenge Island. Being the second in the family, he attends

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

alongside his friends as they all discover everything around them, and learn valuable lessons as they grow up.

Characters

; / Shimajiro : Shimajiro is a yellow tiger and the only son of Shimano family. He is a bright little boy who likes doughnuts and playing soccer. He fears thunder and ghost stories, and does not like to eat green peppers.【しまじろうとちゃれんじじまのなかまたち】
、こどもちゃれんじ。(2013/2/25閲覧) He is very supportive to his friends and to his younger sister Hana, but can sometimes be a bit stubborn. He can be mischievous and selfish, but he always learns his lesson and is always there when his friends and little sister, Hannah (Hana in the Japanese versions), need him. ; / Flappie : One of Shimajiro's childhood friends and his best friend, Flappie is a green parrot. He usually has red, blue and yellow feathers on his head and has few tail feathers on his back, as well as a loose tongue. In earlier series, he only wears a shirt, but starts wearing shorts as of ''Shimajiro: A World of WOW'' (''Shimajirō no Wow''). His Japanese name in the series is always mispronounced in several promotional materials. Flappie is an aspiring singer, but is somehow tone-deaf. He usually likes Takoyaki but like Shimajiro, he is easily scared of thunder, ghost stories and lastly by ghosts. Flappie, being a bird, has an ability to fly to survey things for his friends, and also can understand non-anthropomorphic birds. He usually lives with his grandmother and parents in a treehouse and is the oldest of four siblings. ; / Hannah : Hannah Shimano is a yellow tiger and the younger sister of Shimajiro who plays with her brother. She's also the daughter of Sakura and Shimataro. ; / Nikki : Also one of Shimajiro's childhood friends, Nikki is a pink cat with a cream-colored face. First introduced in ''Shimajirō: A World of Wow!'', She is great at sports, caring, and always stands up to bullies. Naturally, she is always up for adventure with Shimajiro and his friends. She loves climbing trees, foot racing and sports, and dreams to become an Olympic athlete one day when she grows up. She moved into Challenge Island with her grandmother, mother and her younger brother and befriended Shimajiro and the others in the second episode. Her father, however, lives separately somewhere in Challenge Island. ; / Mimi-Lynne : Mimi-Lynne is a white bunny with black ear tips. Living in a family of florists, Mimi-Lynne loves cute things and strawberry shortcake
as well as running. However she has a fear of insects. Usually she also has an overbite and her tail appears out of her skirt. She can be nice but spoiled, selfish and clumsy and has a habit on crying if someone doesn't favor her opinion sometimes. Mimi-Lynne is also a good aspiring singer as well. She initially is one of two characters in the series (the other being Ramurin) to not have an older sibling, but after Ramurin leaves Challenge Island in the series finale of ''Shimajirō Hesoka'', Mimirin becomes the only one. ; : Also one of Shimajiro's childhood friends, Ramurin is a pink female supporting character lamb. Unlike other sheep, she herself does not have a white face. She initially wore a bow on her head but replaced it with a bandana in later episodes. Her own father is a painter, and aspires her to become one when she grows up one day. She loves Pudding, but she has fears of ghosts and she is not good at running fast. She also likes both sports Judo and Sumo. Unlike the other characters, Ramurin's mentality is much higher than the rest of the main cast and usually behaves like a responsible sister. Her catch phrase is "suspicious" and usually keeps her promises sometimes. Like Mimirin, she doesn't have any older sibling. She officially left Challenge Island along with her father during the last episode of ''Shimajirō Hesoka'', and moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to achieve her goals. As a result, she is the only character who does not appear in any of the movies. ; : : ; : : ; / Dr. Roarson

Guest stars

Randy Brakes: Also known as Mr. Brake in the live action segment of ''Shimajiro''. He appeared in the commercial episode "Children's Hope for English". Bob: An English guest speaker who appeared in the live action segment of ''Shimajiro''. He wears an alpine hat and teaches people how to speak English.

Media

Anime

The original series first aired on

from December 13, 1993, to March 31, 2008, becoming the 19th longest running anime in Japan from its debut to its final episode with a total of 726 episodes. The series officially has 7 opening songs and 7 ending songs. For the first series, the first opening is titled by Shima Shima Kids and the second opening is titled by

Omi Minami is a Japanese voice actress, essayist and columnist. She is mostly known for her work in anime and video game roles, with starring roles as Hyatt in ''Excel Saga'', Ruri Hoshino in ''Martian Successor Nadesico'', Majic in '' Orphen'', as well as ...

. The first ending song is titled by Shima Shima Kids, the second ending theme is titled by M.S.J and the third ending is titled by both

and Bin Shimada. The second series, ''Hakken Taiken Daisuki! Shimajirō'', first aired on

and in all TXN stations on April 7, 2008 to March 29, 2010. The opening theme is titled by

, Miki Takahashi,

Takumi Yamazaki Takumi Yamazaki ( ja, 山崎たくみ, Yamazaki Takumi, born Isao Yamazaki ja, 山崎功, Yamazaki Isao, April 14, 1964 in Tokyo) is a Japanese voice actor best known for voicing Torippii the anthropomorphic green parrot in the Shimajiro TV se ...

and

Saori Sugimoto Saori Sugimoto (17 November 1964 – 21 October 2021) was a Japanese voice actress who known for voicing Ramurin Makiba and Nikki in the Anime TV show Shimajiro and in the Shimajiro films, She also voiced Kisanta Yamamura in the Nintama Rantaro a ...

. The ending song is titled , also by Omi Minami, Miki Takahashi, Takumi Yamazaki and Saori Sugimoto. The third series, ''Shimajirō Hesoka'' aired on April 5, 2010 to March 26, 2012. The first opening is titled by

Aki Toyosaki is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture. She had her first major voice acting roles in 2007, voicing Amuro Ninagawa in ''Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō'' and Su in '' Shugo Chara!''. She was named "Best New ...

and the second opening is titled by Yusuke Kamiji. The first ending song is titled by Fusanosuke Kondō and the second ending theme is by Tomomi Ukumori. The current series, ''Shimajirō: A World of Wow!'', began airing on April 2, 2012. The first opening is titled by Daudi Joseph and the second opening is titled by HARCO. The ending theme is titled by

Puffy AmiYumi is a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, who also performed under the name ...

. This series is distributed internationally on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

WildBrain Spark Wild Brain Family International Limited, operating as WildBrain Spark (formerly WildBrain), is a British multi-channel network owned by the Canadian media company WildBrain (formerly DHX Media). It distributes and produces children's video cont ...

, who manages the franchise's English-language presence. The official music of the series is composed by Shin'ya Naitō in the first series and by

Akifumi Tada is a Japanese anime music composer and video game composer. Discography Video games ;Composition *'' Bomberman 64'' (1997) Anime ;Composition *''Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002'' *''Fight Ippatsu! Jūden-chan!!'' *''Cyborg 009 The Cyborg So ...

(''

Tenchi Muyo! GXP is a Japanese anime television series animated by AIC and broadcast on NTV from April 3, 2002 to September 25, 2002. It is the fourth installment of the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' line of series, succeeding ''Tenchi in Tokyo'', localized in North A ...

'') in the later series. Shimajiro is one of the longest running anime series as well as any children’s tv series in general (the longest-running on record being

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

, which has aired since 1969) or any long-running series.

Films

Starting from ''Shimajirō: A World of Wow!'', the series has 8 theatrical films produced. *''Shimajirō to Fufu no Daibōken: Sukue! Nanairo no Hana'' (2013) *''Shimajirō to Kujira no Uta'' (2014) *''Shimajirō to Ōkina Ki'' (2015) *''Shimajirō to Kuni Ehon'' (2016) *''Shimajirō to Niji no Oashisu'' (2017) *''Movie Shimajiro Maho no Shimano Daiboken'' (2018) *''Shimajirō to Ururu no Heroland'' (2019) *''Qiaohu and the Fantastic Flying Ship'' (2019) Also known as ''Shimajirō Soro To Soratofune'' (2021); Delayed from a previous 2020 release due to COVID-19 pandemic. *''The Adventures of the Magic Island of Qiaohu (2021) *''Shimajirō to Kirakira Ōkoku no Ōji-sama'' (2022)

Critical reception

On its first airing, ''Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō'' became TV Setouchi's most popular educational anime show in Japan, rivaling NHK's long running '' Okaasan to Issho''. The anime is listed as one of the most popular Educational Preschool shows, with having a total of eight seasons that continues to three anime sequels, becoming Benesse's most successful adaptation of the ''Kodomo Challenge'' series. Reruns of the episodes are broadcast on other stations such as

Kids Station Kids Station ( Japanese: キッズステーション, ''Kizzu Sutēshon'') is a Japanese children's television channel showing anime and other cartoon material. Kids Station also airs some anime aimed at teens and adults during the night, such as '' ...

and

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

. The series became most popular in the Kanto region of Japan, and was widely popular among children, parents and adults, gaining a decent fanbase over the years. According to research done by Benesse in 2015, the series has 99.2% recognition among parents with children aged 0 to 6.

Awards

The latest series was also nominated in the 2016 International Emmy Awards for best animated series, alongside '' Ronia the Robber's Daughter''.

Mascot popularity

The anime also made Shimajirō one of the most iconic anime characters in Japan for preschoolers, rivaling

Anpanman is a Japanese children's superhero picture book series written by Takashi Yanase, running from 1973 until the author’s death in 2013. The series has been adapted into an anime entitled , which is one of the most popular anime series among ...

in terms of ratings. On his initial release. He widely appeared in various ''Kodomo Challenge'' products and products from other companies and sponsors. Also,

Takara Tomy is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...

and Benesse created a limited edition

Tomica is a line of die-cast toy vehicles (mainly model car, cars) produced since 1970 by Tomy, Takara Tomy Co. of Japan (formerly known as Tomiyama and Tomy Kogyo Incorporated). Ostensibly, Tomica diecast were an outgrowth of Tomica World, an autonom ...

"Shimajiro Car" that is limitedly distributed to Kodomo Challenge members all over Japan. Japanese car company

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

created a life-sized replica of the Tomica model, titled the "426GT Shimajirō Car " which is a Customized Toyota Estima Hybrid. In 2013, a new version of the car is released by called "426EV Shimajirō Car II", based on the

Tesla Model S The Tesla Model S is a battery-powered liftback car serving as the flagship model of Tesla, Inc. The Model S features a dual-motor, all-wheel drive layout, although earlier versions of the Model S featured a rear-motor and rear-wheel drive ...

. Tomica released a model version of the car under the name "Dream Car Tomica Shimajiro II" in February 2014 for ''Kodomo Challenge'' members and a retail release in March 2014.

Overseas popularity

''Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō'' is officially released in various TV stations all across the world, excluding the United States. The Chinese dubbed version is known as Qiao Hu (). In China it is known for having "...thoughtful and scrupulous tutoring methods, as well as elaborate educational materials." The show contains cartoons as well as acted out portions that feature the signature tiger mascot as well as a rabbit and a few actors. According to another source, the firm which sponsored the character has franchises in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

which has been considered "successful" by many parents for its ability to inspire children with "good character" amid China's recent social issues. This idea is further reinforced as it teaches children "how to love to learn" "build positive personality and good habit", addressing the need in children's different stages of learning. In 2014, the firm plans big staging events in Beijing under the title "Dawn of the Adventure Island" in Beijing's Haidian Theater. The anticipated event is notable in that it is one of the first shows targeted towards an audience of children rather than "... conventional justice evil drama of violence and adult language of thinking... ", which is referring to ''

Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf ''Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf'' is a Chinese animated anime-influenced television series created by animation director Huang Weiming and produced by Creative Power Entertaining. The show is about a group of goats living on the Green Green ...

''. According to

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

, the franchise was released on DVD in the year 2010. In Taiwan, Shimajirō is the most popular character among children aged 0 to 6. In America, some people who know the show compare it to another animated preschool series that is from the west, PBS Kids’ Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (2012-present) due to both shows being alike in plot and nature, complete with their own cast of colorful characters, and that the main characters of both shows are a family of tigers, complete with an elder son and a younger daughter. Both titular characters have their own set of friends and neighborly citizens. Although it is unconfirmed if this is a coincidence or that the longer running Shimajiro series has something to do with the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood series and franchise as well, and this current long-running show began running while Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was still on the air. Not a whole bunch of people in the United States know about Shima Shima Tora No Shimajiro due to the show’s obscurity. Shimajiro falls in more obscure media. Due to this, merchandising of the show is only sold in stores in Japan and some other asian territories.