Rascal the Raccoon facts for kids
| Rascal the Raccoon | |
Screenshot of the opening logo of Araiguma Rascal
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Quick facts for kids あらいぐまラスカル(Araiguma Rasukaru) |
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| Genre | Drama |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Masaharu Endō Hiroshi Saitō (1-33) Shigeo Koshi (34-52) |
| Produced by | Junzō Nakajima Yoshio Katō |
| Written by | Akira Miyazaki Shōgo Ōta Kasuke Satō |
| Music by | Takeo Watanabe |
| Studio | Nippon Animation |
| Network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | 2 January 1977 – 25 December 1977 |
| Episodes | 52 |
Rascal the Raccoon (あらいぐまラスカル, Araiguma Rasukaru, literally Raccoon Rascal, with the Japanese word for raccoon meaning "washing bear") is a popular Japanese animated TV show. It was made by Nippon Animation. The series is based on a true story from a 1963 book. The book is called Rascal, A Memoir of a Better Era and was written by Sterling North.
The show first aired in 1977. It became very popular in Japan. Many people wanted raccoons as pets because of the show. However, this led to some big problems later on. Raccoons are not native to Japan.
Contents
The Story of Rascal
The anime tells the story of a young boy named Sterling. He finds a baby raccoon that was discovered by a hunter. Sterling decides to take the raccoon, named Rascal, home. He tries to raise Rascal as a pet.
As Rascal grows, Sterling learns that wild animals are hard to keep as pets. They need to live in their natural home. He faces many challenges trying to care for Rascal. In the end, Sterling realizes he must let Rascal go. He releases Rascal back into the wild.
Characters and Voice Actors
Here are some of the main characters and the people who voiced them in Japanese:
- Rascal voiced by Masako Nozawa
- Sterling North voiced by Toshihiko Utsumi
- Theodora "Theo" North voiced by Yoshiko Matsuo
- Jessica North voiced by Michiru Haga
- Willard North voiced by Masato Yamanouchi
- Elisabeth North voiced by Kuniko Kashii
- Oscar Sunderland voiced by Yūji Shikamata
- Carl voiced by Akio Nojima
- Federiko voiced by Eken Mine
- Clarissa voiced by Hisako Kyouda
- Thurman voiced by Ichirô Nagai
- Sensei voiced by Kazuko Sugiyama
- Conway voiced by Masahiko Murase
- Greta Sunderland voiced by Masako Nozawa
- Slammy voiced by Masaya Taki
- Alice voiced by Miina Tominaga
- Doctor Michel voiced by Mikio Terashima
- Hacket voiced by Miyoko Asou
- Martha voiced by Takako Sasuga
- Arthur voiced by Takeshi Kuwabara
- Tom voiced by Tohru Furuya
- Futon voiced by Toshiya Ueda
Music from the Show
The Rascal the Raccoon series has two main songs. The opening theme song is called "Rock River e" (ロックリバーヘ, Rokku Ribâ e, lit. "To Rock River"). The ending theme song is "Oide Rascal" (おいでラスカル, Oide Rasukaru, lit. "Rascal Come"). Both songs were sung by a Japanese singer named Kumiko Oosugi.
The music for the show was created by Takeo Watanabe. He was a famous composer who worked on many anime shows in the 1970s and 1980s. Interestingly, the opening theme song was later used in the 1981 arcade game Frogger.
The Impact of Rascal on Japan
Raccoons are not naturally found in Japan. They are considered an invasive species. This means they are animals brought into an area where they don't belong. They can cause harm to the local environment. There is strong evidence that the Rascal the Raccoon show greatly added to this problem in Japan.
After the show became popular, many Japanese people wanted raccoons as pets. About 1,500 raccoons were brought into Japan each year. However, raccoons can become difficult to handle as they grow up. They can also be aggressive. This led many owners to release their pet raccoons into the wild. This happened especially after the final episode of the show, where Sterling releases Rascal.
Once in the wild, these raccoons had few natural enemies in Japan. Their numbers grew quickly. By 2004, raccoons were found in 42 of Japan's 47 prefectures. By 2008, they were in all 47 prefectures. These raccoons became a big problem for Japan's nature and buildings.
Raccoons caused damage to many important places. It is thought that about 80% of Japan's temples were harmed by raccoons. This includes Byōdō-in in Kyoto, which is over 900 years old. Raccoons also damaged farm crops. Japan loses about 30 million yen each year from crop damage alone.
Because of these problems, Japan decided to stop importing raccoons. The government also started programs to control the raccoon population. This included removing thousands of raccoons each year. They also made strict rules to prevent more raccoons from entering the country. For example, in 2003, the Hokkaido government made a 10-year plan to remove raccoons from that area. However, these efforts have been difficult to fully fund and carry out.
Where Rascal Has Appeared
Rascal the Raccoon has appeared in many other places besides his own TV show. You might have seen him in commercials, other cartoons, and video games.
- The Adventures of Peter Pan (1989)
- Pokapoka Mori no Rascal (2006, shown on Kids Station)
- Araiguma Rascal Special in the Monster Strike game (game and commercials)
- Meitantei Rascal (2014, shown on NHK Educational TV)
- Line, a popular communication app from South Korea
Rascal Video Games
Rascal has also starred in his own video games:
- Araiguma Rascal: Raccoon Rascal is a puzzle game. It was made by J-Force and released by Masaya. It came out on March 25, 1994, for the Super Famicom.
- Oide Rascal is an action game. It was made by Agatsuma Entertainment and released by Tam. It came out on April 25, 2001, for the Game Boy Color.
See also
In Spanish: Rascal, el mapache para niños
