Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
Encyclopedia
is an American
-Japan
ese animated series from Cartoon Network
, produced by Renegade Animation
. The show was created by Sam Register
, who also serves as the series' executive producer.
According to Register, the target audience of the show is boys and girls from six to eleven years old. However, the show also has a following of fans of the real-life Ami Onuki
and Yumi Yoshimura
who make up the Japanese pop
duo PUFFY, known as "Puffy AmiYumi
" in North America. Register, a fan of the band, wished to spread its fame to other parts of the world and thus produced the cartoon.
The series features the adventures of animated versions of the duo, who have been immensely popular in Japan since making their debut in 1996. The group now has several U.S. albums to its credit, including a 2004 companion album to this program, and was known to viewers of Cartoon Network in the USA for performing the theme to the Teen Titans animated series
.
During the first season, the show included short clips of the real Ami and Yumi making childish commentary (in English and non-subtitled Japanese) at the beginning and end of each episode. They only performed short clips at the beginning of the show during the second and third seasons. Starting with the second season, the duo was sometimes shown holding title cards introducing the cartoon segments. At the end of the episode "Sitcomi Yumi", Ami and Yumi watch TV and see the animated Kaz with the real Ami and Yumi.
The real PUFFY performs the cartoon's theme song (which is also in Japanese, German, Spanish, and Portuguese in the respective regions), and many episodes feature one or more of the duo's songs playing in the background, along with music by their Puerto Rico muse Andy Sturmer
.
The animated Puffy AmiYumi travel all over the world in their tour bus. While appearing the same size as a regular bus on the outside, it appears to have enough internal space to house the girls' rooms (including full-sized beds), Kaz' room, their equipment, and several televisions and computers, among other things. In the episode "Domo", Kaz refers to an upstairs area. It also seems capable of running on autopilot, as many episodes have Kaz, Ami, and Yumi sitting in the rear cabin of the bus while traveling. Several times, the rear door has been opened to receive packages, which a boy on a scooter usually delivers.
Though the characters speak English, the script occasionally intersperses their vernacular
with Japanese
speech, especially when the characters react to events that they find to be surprising. Calling out "Tasukete!" instead of "Help!" is commonly used. During production of the series, DeLisle learned some Japanese from Kawaye and Young, both of whom speak the language fluently.
on November 19, 2004. Since Cartoon Network is available worldwide, the show is dubbed into several languages and aired on Cartoon Network
worldwide, as well as on YTV in Canada.
In Japan, the show began airing on Cartoon Network in English with Japanese subtitle
s in 2005. A dubbed version began airing on TV Tokyo
's Oha Suta
block on October 6, 2005 and started to air on January 8, 2006 on Cartoon Network Japan
.
On 30 April, 2007, Cartoon Network ended the show. In Japan
, Latin America
, Philippines
, Germany
, Canada
(On YTV, not Cartoon Network) and Australia
( on GO!, not on Cartoon Network
), all thirty-nine produced episodes have been televised. Thus far, Cartoon Network has not mentioned any plans to release the final episodes of the series in the United States, nor has it mentioned any further external support of it in forms such as DVD releases. However since Cartoon Network websites in the United States and the UK(except the online games and products in the online shop) have removed all mention of the show, though the rest of the world have not.
The online blog of the show (puffycrew.blogspot.com) had its last new post about this show, after the last produced episode aired in Japan and wrote this:
"So I guess in Japan the Puffy Show aired the final episode last week. Being that the only reason we started this blog was to get feedback on what fans wanted from the show in the future, this seems like a good time to end posting. If anything happens with the show in the future, we'll add more then.
Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by and all your comments!
Here's some boards done in Flash from my final episode, which has never been produced."
In Germany the show airs everyday, although late at night, on Cartoon Network Germany with all episodes. It premiered in 2005 on the Cartoon Network's block of Kabel eins. The show stopped airing there after two seasons in 2006. The reason was that Cartoon Network Germany launched and most of the shows moved there.
In Australia the show stopped airing on Cartoon Network Australia in November 2008. The third season was never shown. In August-November 2009 the Australian channel GO!
showed the last season. The show is now airing on Kids' WB Australia
.
. Two of them came in 2005 and one came in 2006.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese animated series from Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, produced by Renegade Animation
Renegade Animation
Renegade Animation is an animation studio, located in Glendale, California, which currently specializes in Macromedia Flash/Toon Boom animation. It was founded by former Disney and Warner Bros...
. The show was created by Sam Register
Sam Register
Sam Register is Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, at Warner Bros. Animation.Formerly Vice President of Cartoon Network, Register was the brain behind CartoonNetwork.com, which was started in 1998. After creating CartoonNetwork.com, Register came up with the idea of Cartoon Orbit in 2000...
, who also serves as the series' executive producer.
According to Register, the target audience of the show is boys and girls from six to eleven years old. However, the show also has a following of fans of the real-life Ami Onuki
Ami Onuki
is a member of the pop group PUFFY.She has co-hosted several Japanese TV shows with the "cool" half of PUFFY, Yumi Yoshimura, including the talk show Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy, part of a morning show called Saku-Saku, and the 2006 series Hi Hi Puffy Bu, in which Ami and Yumi perform one given task each...
and Yumi Yoshimura
Yumi Yoshimura
is a member of the Japanese pop duo PUFFY, along with Ami Onuki.She was born in Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan. In 1995, she learned that there was a talent search underway in Tokyo. She successfully tried out and was paired with Ami Onuki to form the group PUFFY.From 1999 to 2003 she was married to singer...
who make up the Japanese pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo PUFFY, known as "Puffy AmiYumi
Puffy AmiYumi
or Puffy AmiYumi is a Japanese rock duo that is currently signed with Sony Music Japan. The group continues to go by the moniker of PUFFY in Japan, but in order to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, it has adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi outside of Japan...
" in North America. Register, a fan of the band, wished to spread its fame to other parts of the world and thus produced the cartoon.
The series features the adventures of animated versions of the duo, who have been immensely popular in Japan since making their debut in 1996. The group now has several U.S. albums to its credit, including a 2004 companion album to this program, and was known to viewers of Cartoon Network in the USA for performing the theme to the Teen Titans animated series
Teen Titans (TV series)
Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...
.
Concept
The cartoon was the only one at the time produced entirely in the United States. It used a combination of Macromedia Flash and traditional cel animation. Each program was 30 minutes long (with commercials) and featured three seven-minute segments that borrow inspiration from Japanese animation.During the first season, the show included short clips of the real Ami and Yumi making childish commentary (in English and non-subtitled Japanese) at the beginning and end of each episode. They only performed short clips at the beginning of the show during the second and third seasons. Starting with the second season, the duo was sometimes shown holding title cards introducing the cartoon segments. At the end of the episode "Sitcomi Yumi", Ami and Yumi watch TV and see the animated Kaz with the real Ami and Yumi.
The real PUFFY performs the cartoon's theme song (which is also in Japanese, German, Spanish, and Portuguese in the respective regions), and many episodes feature one or more of the duo's songs playing in the background, along with music by their Puerto Rico muse Andy Sturmer
Andy Sturmer
Marvin Andrew Sturmer is an American musical artist, writer and producer. He was one of the founding members of the band Beatnik Beatch, which led to the formation of Jellyfish.- Jellyfish :...
.
The animated Puffy AmiYumi travel all over the world in their tour bus. While appearing the same size as a regular bus on the outside, it appears to have enough internal space to house the girls' rooms (including full-sized beds), Kaz' room, their equipment, and several televisions and computers, among other things. In the episode "Domo", Kaz refers to an upstairs area. It also seems capable of running on autopilot, as many episodes have Kaz, Ami, and Yumi sitting in the rear cabin of the bus while traveling. Several times, the rear door has been opened to receive packages, which a boy on a scooter usually delivers.
Though the characters speak English, the script occasionally intersperses their vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
with Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
speech, especially when the characters react to events that they find to be surprising. Calling out "Tasukete!" instead of "Help!" is commonly used. During production of the series, DeLisle learned some Japanese from Kawaye and Young, both of whom speak the language fluently.
Major characters
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi depicts characters with the same name and profession as the actual PUFFY members but with different appearances and exaggerated personalities:- Ami OnukiAmi Onukiis a member of the pop group PUFFY.She has co-hosted several Japanese TV shows with the "cool" half of PUFFY, Yumi Yoshimura, including the talk show Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy, part of a morning show called Saku-Saku, and the 2006 series Hi Hi Puffy Bu, in which Ami and Yumi perform one given task each...
(icon), the older one of the duo is depicted as a peppy, optimistic, and cute girl with vivid pink coloured hair and eyes. She favors bubblegum popBubblegum popBubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
and wears a 1960's go-go dressGo-go dressA go-go dress is a dress that appeared in the 1960s, often worn by and associated with go-go dancers. Some have white belts around the waist and some have a mix of bright colors. They were typically worn with go-go boots....
, also sporting a flower in her hair and white knee-high go-go bootsGo-go bootsGo-go boots are a low-heeled style of women's fashion boot worn since the mid-sixties when fashion silhouettes focused on accentuating the leg...
. As the optimist, Ami always looks on the bright side of things and finds a solution to every situation (being two years older and more mature). Her main signature color is pink. But her favourite colour is rainbow(As Harmony said in the series premiere). Ami is voiced by Janice KawayeJanice KawayeJanice Kawaye is a Japanese-American actress, notable for providing the voice of Jenny "XJ-9" Wakeman on My Life as a Teenage Robot, Ami on Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Sarah on Invader Zim, Gi on Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Kioko and Julia on All Grown Up! and Yuzu Kurosaki on Bleach...
.
- Yumi YoshimuraYumi Yoshimurais a member of the Japanese pop duo PUFFY, along with Ami Onuki.She was born in Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan. In 1995, she learned that there was a talent search underway in Tokyo. She successfully tried out and was paired with Ami Onuki to form the group PUFFY.From 1999 to 2003 she was married to singer...
(ˈ), the younger of the duo, is depicted as a cynical, sarcastic punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
er with blue-mauve hair and blue eyes. She dresses in a heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
/grungeGrungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
/gothGoth subcultureThe goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
style with studded necklaces and bracelets, a light purple T-shirt with a skull that has the same facial expressions as she does and seems to have a mind of its own, a black miniskirtMiniskirtA miniskirt, sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees – generally no longer than below the buttocks; and a minidress is a dress with a similar meaning...
, purple bike shorts, and black army boots. Being younger, Yumi is also more impetuous than Ami and rushes headlong into a decision before thinking. However, Yumi has a mature side, too, and sometimes reasons with Ami's childish obsessions. Her main signature colour is purple. Yumi is voiced by Grey DeLisleGrey DeLisleGrey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
.
- Kaz Harada is the duo's well-intentioned yet money-grubbing manager, whose successes are usually balanced out by his foolish decisions. Veteran character actor Keone YoungKeone YoungKeone J. Young is an American character actor. His father is Chinese and his mother is Japanese.He has been prolific in his character work and has made numerous guest appearances on such varied television series as Diff'rent Strokes, The Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Family Matters,...
provides his voice. He is also a huge fan of sumo wrestling, as seen in the episode "Sumo Kaz".
- Jang Keng and Tekirai are Yumi's and Ami's pet cats, respectively. Jang Keng (sometimes called "Jengo") is a black cat and Tekirai ("Teki" for short) is a fluffy white cat. The girls adore their cats, but Kaz is a constant victim of their mischief. Janice KawayeJanice KawayeJanice Kawaye is a Japanese-American actress, notable for providing the voice of Jenny "XJ-9" Wakeman on My Life as a Teenage Robot, Ami on Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Sarah on Invader Zim, Gi on Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Kioko and Julia on All Grown Up! and Yuzu Kurosaki on Bleach...
voices Tekirai while Grey DeLisleGrey DeLisleGrey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
voices Jang Keng.
Minor characters
- Harmony is the self-proclaimed "Number One Fan" of the girls and of Kaz by the end of the episode "Dis-Harmony" and in "Fan Clubs". She is a six year old psychoPsychopathyPsychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
girl who is so obsessed with the duo that she follows them around the world and finding it almost impossible to think of other things, annoying Ami and Yumi to no end. At the end of her first appearance, she becomes obsessed with Kaz's singing and this becomes a running gag in some episodes, appearing from nowhere and telling Kaz she is his #1 fan(Number 1 villager in It's Alive). The character is voiced by Sandy FoxSandy FoxSandra Marie "Sandy" Fox is an American voice actress who has had numerous roles in various animated cartoon and Japanese anime series, and video games....
.
- Timmy (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is the brown-haired boy who was a brat from Brat Attack.
- Eldwin Blair is a sinister land developer, and the antagonist in the two episodes in which he appears. He usually tries to tear down beloved places for his own selfish needs. Blair is voiced by Nathan Carlson.
- King Chad is "a bad boy super hunk", as once described by Ami and Yumi. He is obsessed with the card game Stu-Pi-Doh! (a parody of Yu-Gi-Oh!Yu-Gi-Oh!is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
) and thinks highly of himself. In "Janice Jealous", he had a girlfriend named Janice who shared his interests in video games, yo-yo tricks, and comics. True to his name, King Chad wears a fur-lined cape and gold crown, and sits on a beautifully-adorned throneThroneA throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
. In the episode "Janice Jealous", the character King Chad goes out with is based on Janice Kawaye, Ami's voice actress. She also voiced the character Janice. Chad is voiced by Katie LeighKatie LeighKatherine "Katie" Leigh is an American voice actress best known for her role as Connie Kendall on the Focus on the Family radio program Adventures in Odyssey since 1987...
.
- Wally is a hulking yet slow-witted man hired by Kaz as the girls' bodyguardBodyguardA bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
. He is overprotective, pummeling anyone with whom Ami and Yumi attempt to make contact. Kaz later hired him as a bouncer for a party he was throwing and, more recently, Ami had him try being a roadie. He is voiced by Will RyanWill RyanWill Ryan is an American voice actor and producer–writer–composer, well-known for singing about the American West. In the late seventies he teamed up with Phil Baron as Willio and Phillio. They had regular gigs on television, radio and comedy clubs and universities throughout the US...
.
- Domo is Kaz's dog. He looks much like his owner, even sharing a similar style of glasses (Kaz is the only one who doesn't see the resemblance). Like Kaz, he is constantly in conflict with the cats, especially since he enjoys eating their food. Domo is also voiced by Keone YoungKeone YoungKeone J. Young is an American character actor. His father is Chinese and his mother is Japanese.He has been prolific in his character work and has made numerous guest appearances on such varied television series as Diff'rent Strokes, The Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Family Matters,...
.
- The Talent Suckers are a vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
rock trio from TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
who first appeared in the eponymous episode, "sucking" Ami and Yumi's talent from them. They returned in two other episodes. The straight man of the trio is Vlad (Nathan Carlson), a tall vampire who speaks with a Transylvanian accent. The second band member is a short vampire, Nicolai (Corey BurtonCorey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
), who is easily made nervous. (A running gag has Vlad slapping Nicolai back to his senses.) The third Talent Sucker is Mitch (also voiced by Nathan Carlson), a vampire who does not talk, but instead grunts and groans.
- Atchan is a character Ami and Yumi met at Camp Youwannasushi. He thinks he is a superhero. He is based on Vo Atsushi, the lead singer of the popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band New Rote'ka. In fact, Vo Atsushi actually appeared in a live-action segment dressed up as Atchan in the series finale. Atchan always refers himself in the third person. Before becoming a superhero, Atchan's face resembles Mac from Foster's Home for Imaginary FriendsFoster's Home for Imaginary FriendsFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an American animated television series created and produced at Cartoon Network Studios by animator Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls. It first premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minute television movie, which led to a series...
. After he declares himself a hero, his looks change to look more like Kamen RiderKamen Rider, is a weekly science fiction story created by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It debuted as a tokusatsu television series on April 3, 1971 and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV . A manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine...
's. He has a painted star over his right eye resembling that of KissKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
guitarist Paul StanleyPaul StanleyStanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
. His costume seems to be based on his manga idol, Mungbean Man as shown in Secret Origins. He is voiced by Rob PaulsenRob PaulsenRobert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...
.
- Julie is Yumi's friend in the episode "Julie AmiYumi", which was not aired in the United States. She is a former band member whose signature colour is green. She plays a keyboard guitar. She treats Yumi kindly, but is always mean to Ami. In the episode, she tries to take out Ami and Yumi as revenge for their stealing the stardom which she believed to be rightfully hers. She could not remember Ami's name and thus called her Andy, Annie or Arthur. At the end when she is standing in the rain, still swearing revenge. Julie wears her hair is a green messy ponytail. Her signature outfit consists of a white shirt, black jacket, blue jeans, and high black boots. She is voiced by Lara Jill MillerLara Jill MillerLara Jill Miller is an American television, stage and voice actress.-Biography:Miller was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on April 20, 1967. She graduated from Allentown's William Allen High School...
.
Broadcasting
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi premiered in the United States on Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
on November 19, 2004. Since Cartoon Network is available worldwide, the show is dubbed into several languages and aired on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
worldwide, as well as on YTV in Canada.
In Japan, the show began airing on Cartoon Network in English with Japanese subtitle
Subtitle (captioning)
Subtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added...
s in 2005. A dubbed version began airing on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
's Oha Suta
Oha Suta
is a children's TV show which airs in Japan in the morning on weekdays, and it is produced by TV Tokyo. It premiered in 1997. The main host from 7:05 until 7:30 is Kōichi Yamadera...
block on October 6, 2005 and started to air on January 8, 2006 on Cartoon Network Japan
Cartoon Network (Japan)
Cartoon Network is a Japanese cable and satellite television channel that mostly airs children's animated television series. Cartoon Network in Japan broadcasts original series from Cartoon Network in the U.S., as well as several Japanese animated media and other non-Japanese programs...
.
On 30 April, 2007, Cartoon Network ended the show. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(On YTV, not Cartoon Network) and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
( on GO!, not on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (Australia)
Cartoon Network is a cable and satellite television channel created by Turner Broadcasting, a unit of Time Warner which primarily shows animated programming.The Australian version is available on Pay TV...
), all thirty-nine produced episodes have been televised. Thus far, Cartoon Network has not mentioned any plans to release the final episodes of the series in the United States, nor has it mentioned any further external support of it in forms such as DVD releases. However since Cartoon Network websites in the United States and the UK(except the online games and products in the online shop) have removed all mention of the show, though the rest of the world have not.
The online blog of the show (puffycrew.blogspot.com) had its last new post about this show, after the last produced episode aired in Japan and wrote this:
"So I guess in Japan the Puffy Show aired the final episode last week. Being that the only reason we started this blog was to get feedback on what fans wanted from the show in the future, this seems like a good time to end posting. If anything happens with the show in the future, we'll add more then.
Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by and all your comments!
Here's some boards done in Flash from my final episode, which has never been produced."
In Germany the show airs everyday, although late at night, on Cartoon Network Germany with all episodes. It premiered in 2005 on the Cartoon Network's block of Kabel eins. The show stopped airing there after two seasons in 2006. The reason was that Cartoon Network Germany launched and most of the shows moved there.
In Australia the show stopped airing on Cartoon Network Australia in November 2008. The third season was never shown. In August-November 2009 the Australian channel GO!
Go! (Australian TV channel)
GO! is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 9 August 2009.-Origins:...
showed the last season. The show is now airing on Kids' WB Australia
Kids' WB Australia
An Australian version of Kids' WB premiered on Nine Network, WIN Television and NBN Television on 16 September 2006. It runs for 2½ hours from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m...
.
Awards
The series has been nominated three times for the Annie AwardAnnie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
. Two of them came in 2005 and one came in 2006.
| Year | Result | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Nominated | Annie | Character Design in an Animated Television Production for Shakeh Haghnazarian |
| Production Design in an Animated Television Production for Michael Giaimo (for first episode) | |||
| 2006 | Nominated | Annie | Best Production Design in an Animated Television Production for Michael Giaimo |
DVD
- Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Let's Go!|Let's Go! (2005)
- Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Rock Forever!|Rock Forever! (2005)
Video games
- Kaznapped!Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Kaznapped!Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Kaznapped! is a video game for the Game Boy Advance based on the Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi cartoon.-Story:The future of the band is in jeopardy. Harmony, Ami and Yumi's crazy number one fan, has made off with Kaz, the girls' manager, and a stack of the band's musical instruments...
(Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
) (2005/2006) - The Genie and the AmpHi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie and the AmpHi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie & the Amp is an action game for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console based on the cartoon series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi.- Gameplay :...
(Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) (2006)
Marketing tie-ins
- A "falloon" (a float with balloon elements) of Puffy AmiYumi's cartoon tour bus (complete with the supporting characters in puppet form), the cartoon version of Puffy AmiYumi as a balloon, and the real PUFFY appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeMacy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeThe Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
in 2005. A video of this Macy Parade Float in Chicago can be viewed on SUMO.tv. - A line of toys intended for girls was produced by MattelMattelMattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
(makers of the popular BarbieBarbieBarbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
doll and Hot WheelsHot WheelsHot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
cars) and released for the 2005 Christmas season. - Two DVDs, Let's Go! and Rock Forever, featuring various episodes of the show, were released on November 29, 2005.
- In September 2005 console, handheld and PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
games based on the show were licensed to D3Publisher of America (D3PA)D3 PublisherD3Publisher is a Japanese video game publisher founded on February 5, 1992. Current CEO and president is Yuji Ito, and It is known for its Simple series of low-priced console games. Their games have been released for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2,...
. Currently a Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
game called Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Kaznapped! has been released. A Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game titled The Genie and the Amp was released on June 27, 2006. Kaznapped! has also been released in Japan. - The American costume company Rubie's produced a line of Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi costumes and accessories for girls for HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
2006.
See also
- PUFFYPuffyPuffy can refer to one of the following:* Puffy or Puffy AmiYumi , a Japanese pop duo** Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, animation series about fictional adventures of Puffy AmiYumi** Puffy: P.S...
- Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Kaznapped!Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Kaznapped!Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Kaznapped! is a video game for the Game Boy Advance based on the Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi cartoon.-Story:The future of the band is in jeopardy. Harmony, Ami and Yumi's crazy number one fan, has made off with Kaz, the girls' manager, and a stack of the band's musical instruments...
(Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
) (2005/2006) - Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie and the AmpHi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie and the AmpHi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie & the Amp is an action game for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console based on the cartoon series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi.- Gameplay :...
(Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) (2006) - Pink Lady and JeffPink Lady and JeffPink Lady is an American variety show that aired for five weeks on NBC in 1980, starring the musical duo of the same name. The show is most commonly referred to by the title Pink Lady and Jeff, which refers to co-star Jeff Altman...
, the previous attempt to import a Japanese pop group to US television
External links
- Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi at Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....