Tama & Friends (タマ&フレンズ, Tama ando Furenzu) is a character franchise created by Sony Creative Products in 1983.
An OVA series based on the products titled Tama & Friends: Third Street Story (タマ&フレンズ 3丁目物語, Tama ando Furenzu San-chōme Monogatari) was produced by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and animated by Group TAC. The episodes were released between 1988 and 1990. All episodes, except the first, had two episodes put on a single cassette. The OVAs (except the first) aired on MBS and TBS under the name Tama of Third Street: Do You Know My Tama? (3丁目のタマ うちのタマ知りませんか?, San-Chōme no Tama: Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka?) from July 3, 1993 to August 28, 1993. An anime movie, titled Tama of Third Street: Please! Find Momo-chan!! (3丁目のタマ おねがい!モモちゃんを捜して!!, San-Chōme no Tama: Onegai! Momo-chan wo Sagashite!!), was released in the same year. Additional 29 episodes were created and broadcast in 1994 on the same networks under the same name. The original series was licensed by 4Kids Entertainment in 2000[4][5] with a term lasting until March 2007[6] and dubbed into English. This dub was syndicated in late 2001 but never made it to home video. The original series is currently streaming in the US by Crunchyroll. Another anime series, known as Tama & Friends: Search for It! The Magic Puni-Puni Stone (タマ&フレンズ 探せ!魔法のプニプニストーン, Tama ando Furenzu: Sagase! Mahō no Puni-Puni Sutōn), aired on Animax in 2006.
A new series of animated shorts began airing in October 2016.[7] It is animated in Adobe Flash. In 2016, an official Korean version of the same name based on the series, created by Daewon Media, SEGA SAMMY GROUP and produced by Toonzone Studios & CJ ENM, was released worldwide for a Western audience.
A new anime television series titled Uchi Tama!? ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka?~[8] by MAPPA and Lapin Track premiered from January 9 to March 19, 2020 on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block.
Pochi (ポチ, Pochi) (Doozle in the 4Kids dub) is a timid, yet tenderhearted dog who is Tama's best friend. He is owned by Yamada Tofu (とうふの山田, Tōfu no Yamada).
Tora (トラ, Tora) (Tiggle in the 4Kids dub) is a troublemaker that wants to convince his peers to try daredevil stunts. He is owned by Yuzuko Oketani (桶谷ゆず子, Oketani Yuzuko).
Beh
Voiced by: Sakiko Uran (1993 anime; eps 1-9), Mari Murata (1993 anime; ep 10 onwards), Karin Isobe (2016 anime), Yuma Uchida (2020 anime) (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)
Beh (ベー, Bē) (Chopin in the 4Kids dub) is a black cat that knows all of the shortcuts and hidden places in the town. His English dub name, Chopin, originates from Frédéric Chopin. His owner is Banta Kawahara (河原ばん太, Kawahara Banta).
Kuro
Voiced by: Mioko Kohie (1993 anime; eps 1-9), Tetsuya Iwanaga (1993 anime; ep 10 onwards), Haruka Uno (2016 anime), Yuichiro Umehara (2020 anime) (Japanese); Jimmy Zoppi (English)
Kuro (クロ, Kuro) (Wocket in the 4Kids dub) is a hyperactive, athletic dog. He is owned by Yasushi Mikawa (三河やすし, Mikawa Yasushi).
Gon (ゴン, Gon) (Bengbu in the 4Kids dub) is a dog who is laid-back, often resting on the chair by his owner's shop. He is owned by Zenji Noda (野田ぜんじ, Noda Zenji).
Bull (ブル, Buru) (Bupkus in the 4Kids dub) is a bulldog that bullies Tama's group and has a crush on Momo. He is owned by Kaneko Kuramochi (倉持カネ子, Kuramochi Kaneko).
Takeshi Okamoto
Voiced by: Shinobu Murakami (1993 anime, eps 1-9), Hiro Yuki (1993 anime, ep 10 onwards), Misaki Shiode (2016 anime), Yuka Terasaki (2020 anime) (Japanese); Dan Green (English)
Takeshi Okamoto (岡本タケシ, Okamoto Takeshi) (Casey in the 4Kids dub) is Tama's owner, who enjoys riding his bicycle and stargazing.
"The Legend of Devil Pochi" Transliteration: "Debiru Pochi no Densetsu" (Japanese: デビル・ポチの伝説)
Special episode broadcast on the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sony - the parent company of Sony Creative Products - was founded one month after Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, and two months after the bombings.
Tama & Friends: Do You Know My Tama? (タマ&フレンズ 〜うちのタマ知りませんか?〜, Tama to Furenzu: Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka?) began airing on Tokyo MX and CTV in October 2016.[11]
Uchitama?! Have you seen my Tama?
Uchitama?! Have you seen my Tama? (うちタマ?! ～うちのタマ知りませんか？～, Uchi Tama!? ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka?~) is a spin-off series created in 2017, which reimagines the cast of the franchise as humans. In June 2019, an anime adaptation by MAPPA and Lapin Track was announced. It aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from January 9 to March 19, 2020. The series is directed by Kiyoshi Matsuda, with Kimiko Ueno handling series composition, Mai Otsuka designing the characters, and Tom-H@ck composing the music.[12] wacci performed the series' opening theme song "Friends"[13][14] while Soma Saito performed the ending theme "Hidamari o Sagashite" (ひだまりを探して, Hidamari o sagashite, "Searching for a Sunny Spot").[15]Aniplex of America licensed the series in North American territories.[16]
Video games
The first Tama and Friends video game, Tama and Friends: Great Third Street Adventure (タマ＆フレンズ 3丁目大冒険, Tama ando Furenzu: San-chōme Dai Bōken) was released in 1989 for the Famicom Disk System.
The second game, Tama of 3rd Street: Where is Momo-chan! (３丁目のタマ モモちゃんはどこ！, San-Chōme no Tama: Momo-chan wa Doko!) was released in July 1994 for the Sega Pico.
The third game, Tama of 3rd Street: Tama and Friends - Third Street Ghost Panic!! (3丁目のタマ タマ＆フレンズ 3丁目おばけパニック！！, San-Chōme no Tama: Tama ando Furenzu - San-chōme Obake Panikku!!) was released in August 1994 for the Game Boy.
The fourth game, Tama & Friends: 3 Choume Kouen Tamalympic (タマ＆フレンズ 3丁目公園タマリンピック, Tama ando Furenzu: San-chōme Kōen Tamarinpikku) was released in 1995 for the Game Gear.
