Maple Town, also known as Maple Town Stories (Japanese: メイプルタウン物語, Hepburn: Meipuru Taun Monogatari), is a 1986 Japanese anime series created by Chifude Asakura and directed by Junichi Sato. The series, produced by Toei Animation, Asatsu and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, consists of 52 half-hour episodes, which aired on ABC, TV Asahi and other ANN stations in Japan from January 19, 1986, to January 11, 1987.[1]
The show focuses on the adventures of Patty Rabbit, Bobby Bear and their families, in a small anthropomorphic city named Maple Town. The series was followed by a 50-episode sequel, New Maple Town Stories: Palm Town Chapter, which retained only Patty Rabbit (and her voice actor, Maya Okamoto) from both series, although Maple Town's citizens made cameos from time to time. To date, this has not had an official English release.
The show was dubbed into English and syndicated in the United States in 1987.[7] The program spawned collectablefigurines with changeable clothing, as well as houses, furniture and vehicles. Tonka was the US licensee and manufacturer.[8]
VHS compilations of Maple Town appeared in North America, Europe and Japan during the late 1980s and early 1990s. As of 2013, official DVDs of the show had surfaced in Japan, Spain[9] and Hungary,[10] with no release plans announced for other territories.
Plot summary
Patty Hoperabbit, along with her family, arrives in Maple Town, a small town inhabited by friendly animals, but in a train heist by the sly – if usually "endearingly unsuccessful" – thief, Wilde Wolf stole the mailbag from her father and escaped into the forest. Soon she followed after him to retrieve the mailbag. In the midst of getting the bag back from the thief, she befriends a boy of her age named Bobby Kumanoff who has the bag. After they escape from Wilde Wolf and outwit him, they deliver the mailbag safely to her father. Soon, the Rabbit Family settles in Maple Town as mail carriers and the bitter, yet sweet friendship of Patty and Bobby begins to blossom. At the same time they try to foil Wilde Wolf's plans.
The series was produced by Toei Animation, Asatsu and Asahi Broadcasting. Maple Town was created by Chifude Asakura[13] and directed by Junichi Sato.[1] It served as one of the first projects for Kunihiko Ikuhara, who later joined the crew of Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena.[14] Ikuhara served as an assistant director[14] and production manager for some of the show's later episodes.[15]
United States
In October 1986, toy manufacturer Tonka acquired the rights for US$2.5–3 million[16] and became its US licensee, launching a toy line and ad campaign early the following year.[8] Tonka invested US$7 million on television ads for the toy line.[17] An English-dubbed version, airing in tandem with the toy promotion, starred actress Karen Hartman (credited as Janice Adams), known previously for her other children's TV role as Talkatoo Cockatoo on Zoobilee Zoo, as Mrs. Maple in its book-ending live-action segments.[3] Mrs. Maple was the only human inhabitant of the title town in this version, and she offered each episode's moral lesson. The voice cast included Reba West as Patty Rabbit and Steve Kramer as Wilde Wolf.
The original Maple Town series aired on Sunday mornings in Japan on TV Asahi, from January 19, 1986, until January 11, 1987.[1] Following its 52nd episode, its follow-up, New Maple Town Story: Palm Town Chapter (新メイプルタウン物語-パームタウン編, Shin Maple Town Monogatari: Palm Town Hen), aired in the same time slot.[citation needed]
The first ten episodes of the English dub by Saban Entertainment and The Maltese Companies premiered in barter syndication in 1987[4][3] as a trial run on US television,[18] then sixteen more episodes premiered on Nickelodeon,[4] where it aired until September 1, 1989. It then aired on The CBN Family Channel/The Family Channel from September 4, 1989[5] until September 13, 1990.[19] A 65-episode run was originally announced,[17][20] but only 39 ever reached US television.[2]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, European stations aired Maple Town in their various native languages. In Spain, TVE aired the program under the title La aldea del arce,[9] starting in 1987. In France, the series was distributed by IDDH and broadcast from May 3, 1987, on FR3 in the program Amuse 3 under the name Les Petits Malins. It also aired on RTL Veronique in the Netherlands (as Avonturen in Maple Town);[13] in Finland under the title Seikkailumetsä; in Sweden as Äventyrsskogen;[13] and on Hungary's RTL Klub channel as Juharfalvi történetek.
As with Japan, several other countries aired both series of the Maple Town franchise. In Italy, Mediaset's Italia 1 broadcast both iterations of Maple Town during the late 1980s (under the titles Maple Town: Un nido di simpatia and Evviva Palm Town).[21] The combined series aired as Les petits malins on FR3 in France at the time.[22] On Nasza TV's showings in Poland, the show was known as Opowiesci z Klonowego Miasteczka and Opowiesci z Palmowego Miasteczka.[23] In Hong Kong, Maple Town aired on the ATV network during 1991.[24] Both shows also aired in Arabic speaking nations with the first series broadcast under أرنوبة ودبدوب (Arnoba Wa Dabdoob, Arnoba and Dabdood) and second airing under مدينة النخيل (Madina Al Nakheel, Palms Town).[citation needed]
During the 1990s, Toei Video released a ten-tape collection of Maple Town, each consisting of three episodes in their original airing order. In 2013, TC Entertainment released the original series in DVDbox sets as part of Toei's Recollection Anime Library lineup. The first box set was released on September 27, and the second set on October 30. Palm Town Chapter series was also released in the same label on November 27 for the first box set and on December 25 for the second box set.
Select episodes of Saban's US dub were released on VHS from late 1987 until 1990 by Family Home Entertainment and Tonka Home Video. Each tape consisted of two stories each, except for the first release, "Welcome to Maple Town". No less than eight English episodes were distributed in the UK by the now-defunct M.S.D. (Multiple Sound Distributors) label.[25] Multicom Entertainment Group, who owns the US dub (by the way of their acquisition of The Kushner-Locke library in 2013), currently has no plans to release the entire series on home media or onto any streaming service, likely due to them having a hard time licensing the rights to use the cartoons from Toei.[citation needed]
In the Netherlands, CNR Video released a Dutch dub of the first two episodes in 1992. The stories were entitled "De Overval op de Trein" and "Voor het eerst naar de nieuwe school" in the Dutch language.[26]
The entire original series was released on DVD in Spain by Divisa Home Video,[9] in Japan by TC Entertainment, and Hungary's Fümoto released some episodes onto that format.[10]
^ abcdErickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 542–545. ISBN0786420995.
^ abcdeTelevision/Radio Age. Vol. 36. Television Editorial Corp. 1988. p. 55. Retrieved December 31, 2009. Last season Maltese produced the barter-syndicated series Maple Town and Spiral Zone for Tonka Toys; the former is on Nickelodeon.
^ ab"Today's listings". Toledo Blade. September 4, 1989. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
^"Daytime listings". The News-Messenger. September 22, 1989. p. 23. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
^Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 524–525. ISBN978-1476665993.
^ abWeiss, Barbara (October 20, 1986). "No blockbusters in sight to boost holiday toy sales". Drug Topics. 130. Copyright Medical Economics Company: 46.
^Wascoe Jr., Dan (February 16, 1987). "Toy makers tuning in to TV show connections". Star Tribune. p. 03M. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2023. In an era when the investment to launch an animated cartoon show ranges from $12 million to $15 million, shrinking viewership means 'the economics are becoming strained', [Tonka Toys' president Pat Feely] said. 'We don't do it unless we feel we've got a strong product line.' In the case of Tonka's Maple Town series, the cost was much less—between $2.5 million and $3 million—because it's an edited and dubbed version of a popular Japanese show, Feely said.
^ abStern, Sara E.; Forkan, James P. (February 2, 1987). "Fantasy dolls stay in action; High-tech toys finding big consumer interest". Advertising Age. Crain Communications, Inc.: 33.
^Nowakowski, Witold and Mariusz Jarczewski (December 26, 2002). "OPOWIEŚCI Z KLONOWEGO MIASTECZKA". Anime in Poland: Complete Guide. anime.info.pl. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^香港播放動畫特攝中日名稱對照表 (in Chinese). RXBlack. p. 10. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
