Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō facts for kids
| Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō | |
DVD Cover of the "Shimajirō Anime: Oyako no Pokapoka Kessaku Sen", featuring the members of the Shimano Family.
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Quick facts for kids しましまとらのしまじろう |
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| Genre | Educational, Comedy, Slice of life |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Tan Hakata |
| Published by | Benesse |
| Demographic | Kodomo |
| Magazine | Kodomo Challenge |
| Original run | April 1988 – December 1993 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Hisayuki Toriumi |
| Music by | Shin'ya Naitō |
| Studio | Studio Kikan, now Pierrot Plus |
| Network | TV Setouchi TX Network (TV Tokyo, TV Osaka) |
| Original run | December 13, 1993 – March 31, 2008 |
| Episodes | 726 |
| Anime television series | |
| Hakken Taiken Daisuki! Shimajirō | |
| Directed by | Akira Shigino Masahiro Nakata |
| Music by | Akifumi Tada |
| Studio | Pierrot Plus |
| Network | TV Setouchi TX Network (TV Tokyo, TV Osaka) |
| Original run | April 7, 2008 – March 29, 2010 |
| Episodes | 101 |
| Anime television series | |
| Shimajirō Hesoka | |
| Directed by | Masahiro Nakata |
| Music by | Akifumi Tada |
| Studio | Pierrot Plus |
| Network | TV Setouchi TX Network (TV Tokyo, TV Osaka) |
| Original run | April 5, 2010 – March 26, 2012 |
| Episodes | 101 |
| Anime television series | |
| Shimajirō: A World of Wow! | |
| Directed by | Masahiro Nakata |
| Music by | Akifumi Tada |
| Studio | Azeta Pictures The Answer Studio |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | TV Setouchi TX Network (TV Tokyo, TV Osaka) |
| Original run | April 2, 2012 – ongoing |
| Episodes | 469 |
| Related media | |
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Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō (which means "Striped Island Tiger Shimajirō" in Japanese) is a popular Japanese anime series. It started in 1993 and is mostly for young children, like preschoolers. The show is based on an educational learning program called Kodomo Challenge, created by Benesse in 1988.
The anime was directed by Hisayuki Toriumi and featured character designs by Shigehito Tsuji. It first aired in Japan on TV Setouchi and other TXN channels. The original series ran for a long time, from December 13, 1993, until March 31, 2008.
Contents
About the Shimajirō Series
The Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō show was made because Benesse and TV Setouchi wanted to turn the Kodomo Challenge learning program into a TV series. The animation was done by Pierrot Plus. The first series ended in 2008. After that, new series like Hakken Taiken Daisuki! Shimajirō started. These newer shows sometimes included real-life parts along with the animation.
What the Show is About
The main idea of the series is to show Shimajirō's daily life as a preschooler. It teaches kids important lessons they need to learn as they grow up. These lessons include how to make friends, say sorry, and solve problems. The show also teaches educational things like how to plant flowers, use the toilet, and learn in kindergarten.
The stories in the anime are new, but they use ideas from the Kodomo Challenge series.
Where the Story Takes Place
The anime is set on a make-believe place called Challenge Island. This island is full of animal characters who act like humans. It's a suburban island, meaning it has houses and stores, and it has all the resources it needs. Different kinds of animals live there, like Mole People who live underground and Squirrel people who sleep a lot in winter. There are also different ways to get around, like subways.
Besides animals, some characters like Witches and Fairies also live on Challenge Island.
Meet the Characters
The series mainly follows Shimajiro Shimano, a curious tiger boy who lives on Challenge Island. He goes to Kindergarten with his friends. Together, they explore the world and learn important lessons as they grow.
- Shimajiro Shimano (縞野 しまじろう, Shimano Shimajirō)
- Voiced by: Chisato Nakajima (First Series), Omi Minami (Current Series) (Japanese); Michelle Ruff (English)
- Shimajiro is the main character. He is a yellow tiger boy and the only son in his family. He is smart and loves doughnuts and playing soccer. He is scared of thunder and ghost stories, and he doesn't like green peppers. Shimajiro is very supportive of his friends and his younger sister, Hana. Sometimes he can be a bit stubborn or selfish, but he always learns from his mistakes and is there for his friends and sister when they need him.
- Mimirin Midorihara (緑原 みみりん, Midorihara Mimirin) / Mimi-Lynne
- Voiced by: Naoko Watanabe (First Series), Miki Takahashi (Current Series) (Japanese); Stephanie Sheh (English)
- Mimi-Lynne is a white bunny with black ear tips. Her family owns a flower shop. She loves cute things and strawberry shortcake, and she enjoys running. She is scared of magic and doesn't like kung fu. Mimi-Lynne can be nice, but sometimes she is spoiled, selfish, and clumsy. She might cry if others don't agree with her. She is a good singer and dreams of being a princess.
- Torippii Sorano (空野 とりっぴい, Sorano Torippii) / Flappie
- Voiced by: Yūko Mita (First Series), Takumi Yamazaki (Current Series) (Japanese); Frank Todaro (English)
- Flappie is one of Shimajiro's childhood friends. He is a green parrot with red, blue, and yellow feathers on his head. He loves Takoyaki but, like Shimajiro, he is easily scared by thunder, ghost stories, and ghosts. Since he is a bird, Flappie can fly to look for things for his friends. He can also understand other birds that don't act like humans. He lives in a treehouse with his grandmother and parents and is the oldest of four siblings.
- Ramurin Makiba (牧場 らむりん, Makiba Ramurin)
- Voiced by: Chisato Nakajima (First Series, earlier Seasons), Hinako Yoshino (First Series, later Seasons), Saori Sugimoto (Current Series)
- Ramurin is another one of Shimajiro's childhood friends. She is a pink lamb. Her father is a painter, and she wants to be a painter too when she grows up. She loves pudding but is scared of ghosts and isn't very fast at running. She also likes Judo and Sumo sports. Ramurin is often more mature than the other main characters and acts like a responsible older sister. She often says "suspicious" and usually keeps her promises. Ramurin left Challenge Island with her father to move to France in the last episode of Shimajirō Hesoka. Because of this, she doesn't appear in any of the movies.
- Nyakkii Momoyama (桃山 にゃっきい, Momoyama Nyakkii) / Nikki
- Voiced by: Saori Sugimoto (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)
- Nikki is a pink cat with a cream-colored face. She was first introduced in Shimajirō: A World of Wow!. Nikki is great at sports, very caring, and always stands up to bullies. She loves going on adventures with Shimajiro and his friends. She enjoys climbing trees, racing, and other sports. Her dream is to become an Olympic athlete. Nikki moved to Challenge Island with her grandmother, mother, and younger brother. She became friends with Shimajiro and the others in the second episode of her series. Her father lives in a different part of Challenge Island.
- Hana Shimano (縞野 はな, Shimano Hana) / Hannah
- Voiced by: Miki Takahashi (Japanese); Valeria Zunzun (English)
- Shimajiro's younger sister.
- Shimataro Shimano (縞野 しまたろう, Shimano Shimataro)
- Voiced by: Chafurin
- Shimajiro's father.
- Sakura Shimano (縞野 さくら, Shimano Sakura)
- Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue
- Shimajiro's mother.
Guest Stars
Sometimes, real people appear in the live-action parts of the Shimajiro show.
- Randy Brakes: Also known as Mr. Brake, he appeared in a commercial episode called "Childrens Hope for English."
- Bob: An English speaker who appeared in the live-action parts of Shimajiro. He teaches people how to speak English.
Media and Films
Anime Series
The first Shimajirō series aired on TV Setouchi from December 13, 1993, to March 31, 2008. It had a total of 726 episodes, making it one of the longest-running anime series in Japan. This series had 7 different opening songs and 7 different ending songs.
- The second series, Hakken Taiken Daisuki! Shimajirō, aired from April 7, 2008, to March 29, 2010.
- The third series, Shimajirō Hesoka, aired from April 5, 2010, to March 26, 2012.
- The current series, Shimajirō: A World of Wow!, started airing on April 2, 2012. This series is available internationally on YouTube through WildBrain Spark, which helps manage the English versions of the show.
The music for the first series was composed by Shin'ya Naitō. For the later series, the music was composed by Akifumi Tada.
Shimajirō Films
Starting with Shimajirō: A World of Wow!, there have been 8 Shimajirō movies released in theaters.
- 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)
- Shimajirō Soro To Soratofune (2021) - This movie was delayed from its original 2020 release because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
