Tama & Friends is a character franchise created by Sony Creative Products in 1983. An OVA series based on the products was created by Group TAC and titled Tama & Friends: Third Street Story and the first episode was first released in 1988. All episodes, except the first, had two episodes put on a single cassette. The episodes, as well as an additional three episodes, aired on TBS and MBS under the name Tama of Third Street: Do You Know My Tama? from July 3, 1993 to August 28, 1993. An anime movie, titled Tama of Third Street: Please! Find Momo-chan!!, was released in the same year. Other 26 episodes were created and broadcast in 1994 on the same networks under the same name. The original series was dubbed in North America by 4Kids Entertainmentin 2001, but never made it to home video. Another anime series, known as Tama & Friends: Search for It! The Magic Puni-Puni Stone, aired on Animax in 2006. A new series of animated shorts began airing in October 2016. 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?~ by MAPPA and Lapin Track premiered from January 9 to March 19, 2020 on Fuji TV's Noitaminaprogramming block.
Characters
Original characters
Tama: An energetic cat who always wants to go on new adventures. Tama is owned by Takeshi.
Takeshi Okamoto / Casey - Tama's owner, who enjoys riding his bicycle and stargazing.
Kimie Okamoto / Casey's mom - Takeshi's mother.
Momo: Momo is a sweet and ladylike cat. Momo is owned by Amy. Tama has a secret crush on her.
Emi Hanasaki / Amy - Emi is Takeshi's friend and the owner of Momo. Amy has an annoying cousin named Hatsuko / Jeannie.
Kasumi Hanasaki / Amy's mom - Emi's mother.
Pochi / Doozle: Pochi is a dog who is constantly afraid of many things. He is owned by Yamada Tofu.
Tora / Tiggle: Tora is a troublemaker that wants to convince his peers to try daredevil stunts. He is owned by Yuzuko Oketani.
Beh / Chopin: Beh 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.
Kuro / Wocket: Kuro is a hyperactive, athletic dog. He is owned by Yasushi Mikawa.
Gon / Bengbu: Gon is a dog who is laid-back. He is owned by Zenji Noda.
Koma / Pimmy: Koma is the youngest member of Tama's group.
Tama & Friends: Do You Know My Tama? began airing on Tokyo MX and CTV in October 2016.
Uchitama?! Have you seen my Tama?
Uchitama?! Have you seen my Tama? 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. wacci performed the series' opening theme song "Friends" while Sōma Saitō performed the ending theme "Hidamari o Sagashite". Aniplex of America licensed the series in North American territories.
Video games
The first Tama and Friends video game, Tama and Friends: Great Third Street Adventure was released in 1989 for the Famicom Disk System. The second game, Tama of 3rd Street: Where is Momo-chan! was released in July 1994 for the Sega Pico. The third game, Tama of 3rd Street: Tama and Friends - Third Street Ghost Panic!! was released in August 1994 for the Game Boy. The fourth game, Tama & Friends: Third Street Park Tamalympics was released in 1995 for the Game Gear.
