Tatsunoko Production

Background

Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio and rights company founded in October 1962 by manga author Tatsuo Yoshida alongside his brothers Kenji and Ippei Kuri. The studio is best known for a number of works including Speed Racer, The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee, Time Bokan, The Littl' Bits, The Genie Family/Bob in a Bottle, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman among many others. Following his death in 1977, Kenji Yoshida took over the studio and later in 1987 by Kuri. In 2005, toy company Takara purchased a 88% stake in Tatsunoko, making the studio a subsidiary of Takara. In 2013, Horipro purchased 13.5% of the company's shares and renamed its Japanese name to TatsunokoPro (タツノコプロ). The following year, Nippon Television purchased 54.3% of Tatsunoko's shares from Tomy, making the studio a subsidiary of NTV. In 2019, Tatsunoko introduced the Bakken Record label meant for several productions.

"Tatsunoko" has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu no ko" ("Child of Tatsu", Tatsu being the nickname for founder Tatsuo Yoshida) and "Tatsuno" ("seahorse"), the seahorse became its logo.

Logo (May 8, 1965?-)

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Visuals: An in-credit logo featuring a seahorse logo with the words "タツノコプロ" in a cubic script to the right of it.

Variants:

• On most shows, such as Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato, the seahorse is removed.
• Beginning in 2016, the seahorse and wordmark were modernized. This was first seen in Time Bokan 24.

Technique: Superimposed animation. Cel animation during its earliest appearances.

Audio: The opening or closing theme of the show.

Availability: Can be seen on television series produced and/or animated by them, such as Speed Racer.