Happy Birthday Hamtaro - 3000 Hammy Steps in Search of Mommy

Happy Birthday Hamtaro

Japan airdate	August 6, 2001
US airdate	August 31, 2003 (small portion in Happy Birthday Hamtaro Special!)
Canada airdate	August 6, 2003 (small portion in Happy Birthday Hamtaro Special!)

Happy Birthday Hamtaro - 3000 Hammy Steps In Search Of Mommy (ハム太郎のおたんじょうび〜ママをたずねて三千てちてち〜) is a special OVA of Hamtaro. It was released on August 6th, 2001 in Japan, exclusively on home video.

In English territories, a small portion of the episode was included in the Happy Birthday Hamtaro Special!, aired on TV in 2003.

Plot Summary[]

Note: this section contains important plot points that could be considered spoilers.

It's Hamtaro's birthday, and Laura is looking at a photo album with him. She shows Hamtaro a picture of him as a baby, lying next to his mother, Yuki. Upon seeing the picture, Hamtaro immediately wants to reunite with Yuki. The Ham-Hams are all excited at the thought, and encourage him to make the long, 3000 ticky-ticky-step walk to Yuki's residence. Meanwhile, the other Ham-Hams begin preparing his surprise birthday party.

Alongside Boss and Oxnard, he begins his journey to Sumire Town. As they keep walking, however, they get increasingly tired; luckily, they run into Jingle, who gives them a ride (courtesy of Herbert's back). But unfortunately for them, Jingle ends up just getting their journey derailed.

Eventually, they run into Sabu; he calls on Françoise to fly Hamtaro and friends to the Sumire Town preschool where Yuki lives. Hamtaro arrives safely, and finally enters the preschool - and is greeted by a white-furred hamster who looks just like Yuki. But in reality, this was a completely different hamster named Tsurara; and Yuki herself is nowhere to be found. Tsurara explains to Hamtaro that Yuki is "in a place far, far away", and motions the Ham-Hams to look up at the sky.

Hamtaro walks outside to a sunflower patch, amidst the sunset, looking up at the clouds. The spirit of Yuki greets him from the sky, and tells him that no matter what, she'll always be with him. As the sunflower petals flow, he and the others head back to the Clubhouse, to which Hamtaro finally has his big birthday celebration.