Kaminari Boya Pikkari Bee

Aired: 1967 - 1968

A TV anime produced by Toei Doga and solely sponsored by Snow Brand Milk Products. While the manga adaptation by Naoki Tsuji preceded the broadcast, the project itself was an original Toei Doga work. Broadcast in 52 episodes on the NET (now TV Asahi) network from April 1, 1967 to March 30, 1968 every Saturday from 18:15 in a 3-5 minute belt-programming format. The mischievous child of the thunder god, Pikkari (voiced by Keiko Yamamoto), comes from the land of thunder and lodges at the Earth boy Tatsugoro's home, causing slapstick incidents involving Snow Brand dairy products. The format featured strong CM tie-in elements and was produced as a Snow Brand Sky Club sponsor slot, making it a representative early example of corporate tie-in anime in Japan. Despite the short runtime, securing a substantial episode count as a Toei Doga work was significant in establishing the format of children's advertising anime of the era. (C)Toei Animation