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Happy Birthday Hamtaro Special!
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US airdate
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August 31, 2003
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Canada airdate
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August 6, 2003
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Happy Birthday Hamtaro Special! is an English "special episode" of Hamtaro, aired in August 2003. It is a combination of two Japanese OVAs - "Happy Birthday Hamtaro - 3000 Hammy Steps in Search of Mommy" and "Ham-Hams and the Treasure Hunt" - with most of its content coming from the latter.
Overview[]
Happy Birthday Hamtaro Special! begins with "Part 1: Ham-Hams Ahoy!"; an English dub of "Ham-Hams and the Treasure Hunt". The original Japanese version's content is mostly unchanged, though the ending scene has been cut out.
The special then cuts to "Part 2: Happy Birthday Hamtaro!", which is an English adaption of a small portion of "Happy Birthday Hamtaro - 3000 Hammy Steps in Search of Mommy". Only the ending is intact (save for the final still on the dropped flowers), with the entire main story of the original being cut completely.
History[]
The original Japanese production of "Happy Birthday Hamtaro - 3000 Hammy Steps in Search of Mommy", released in 2001, featured the story of Hamtaro going on journey to find his mother, Yuki. In the end, it is concluded that Yuki passed away, and Hamtaro talks to her from the heavens. It is presumed that the English Hamtaro staff disapproved of the plot - likely for being too sad, too dark, or a similar reason - and chose to heavily alter it. As such, only Hamtaro's birthday scene was dubbed, and was added to the end of the more joyful "Ham-Hams and the Treasure Hunt". In retrospect, this decision has generally been meant with criticism, with many believing that "3000 Hammy Steps" should have aired with its original plot unaltered.
Songs[]
- We're Rivals - sung by Howdy and Dexter
- Sunflower Seeds - sung by Hamtaro, Bijou, and Oxnard
- My Special Pink Scarf - sung by Pashmina and Penelope
- Twirling Whirling (Remix version) - sung by Sandy and Stan
- I Am Boss - sung by Boss
- Happy Ham-Ham Birthday - sung by Ham-Hams