In 1977, Japan fell in love with a cartoon raccoon, and the resulting pet craze was followed by the spread of raccoons and damage across much of the country

On January 2, 1977, Nippon Animation began broadcasting the 52-episode anime Rascal the Raccoon (Araiguma Rasukaru) as the third series in its World Masterpiece Theater anthology. It aired on Fuji TV through the end of that year. The series adapted Sterling North’s 1963 autobiographical memoir Rascal , recounting the author’s boyhood experiences in 1918 Edgerton, Wisconsin, where he rescues and raises an orphaned raccoon kit named Rascal after its mother is killed by hunters. Clements and McCarthy's Anime Encyclopedia(2006) notes that the series aired throughout 1977 and became popular among children in Japan, sparking a nationwide raccoon pet craze.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!