''Clever Raccoon Dog'' () is a North Korean animated television series produced by

SEK Studio Korean April 26 Animation Studio (), also known as SEK Studio (abbreviation of "Scientific Educational Korea"), is a state-owned North Korean animation studio, based in Ot'an-dong, Central District, Pyongyang. History The studio started oper ...

which aired on North Korean state television. The series was produced for a number of years and features both old and new animation styles, depending on the production year of each episode. The series focuses on three main characters (a

raccoon dog ''Nyctereutes'' (Greek: ''nyx, nykt-'' "night" + ''ereutēs'' "wanderer") is a genus of canid which includes only two extant species, both known as raccoon dogs: the common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides'') and the Japanese raccoon do ...

, a male bear, and a female cat), who are often involved in minor adventures or incidents. Each episode has a scholastic element or a particular message, focusing on matters as scientific information,

road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...

sportsmanship Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, and with proper consideration for wikt:fairness, fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A "sore loser" r ...

, among others. The first 9 episodes (episode 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 22, 23) are co-produced with the French animation studio Col.Ima.Son and P.M.M.P.

Characters

Main characters

* (, Raccoon Dog): A brown

. He is smart and kind. * (, Bear): A

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on av ...

. He is strong and greedy. * (, Cat): A blue

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

. She is naughty and tomboyish. Her gender is unclear, and even SEK's staff are confused. Although listed as female in international dubs and some DVDs and merchandise, she is considered a "boy" in some episodes. There is no clear answer from the producers about this.

Minor characters

* (, Piglet): He is a mischievous baby pig. He first appeared in episode 65 and is younger than Neoguri, Gom, and Yaungi. * (, Baby Goat): He is Neoguri's classmate. * (, Chick): He is a baby chick and appeared in episode 47. * (, Uncle Bear): He is Gom's uncle and first appeared in episode 71. He has a job manufacturing canned fish and is attacked and knocked down by hungry wolf thieves. * (, Guide Rabbit): She is the village guide and reporter, and wears a fancy pink dress. She first appeared in episode 67. * (, Mrs. Sheep): She is a sheep wearing a light pink dress. She first appeared in episode 70. * (, Mr. Goat) * (, Thief Fox): She is a thief who tries to steal a Neoguri's robot crab. * (, Captain Lynx): He is a lynx wearing an eyepatch. He tries to steal Neoguri's robot crab with a fox, but ultimately fails.

Voice cast

* Neoguri: Unknown (Episode 1–46) → Song Young-Suk (Episode 47–54) → Rim Bok-Hui (Episode 55) → Song Young-Suk (Episode 56–59) → Rim Bok-Hui (Episode 60–65) → Han Ok-Won (Episode 66-) * Gom: Unknown (Episode 1–46) → Won Jong-Suk (Episode 47–62) → Rim Un-Yong (Episode 63) → Rim Bok-Hui (Episode 64-) * Yaungi: Unknown (Episode 1–46) → Kwon Nyong-Ju (Episode 47–55) → Rim Un-Yong (Episode 55–62) → Lee Eun-Ju (Episode 63-) * Thief Fox: Rim Bok-Hui * Captain Lynx: Mok Geum-Sung * Thief Mouse: Dong Yun-Mi * Pilot Weasel: Park Sung-Il

Media

63 episodes (1-63) have been released on DVD by Mokran Video. The series resumed in 2021, with episode 64 being aired on 19 December. These newly produced episodes featured new actresses. On February 4, 2023, The Pyongyang Times announced the production of episodes 70, 71 and 72. These episodes are respectively titled "Orange Necklace", "Waterproof Cloth" and "Plastic Magnet

Episodes

* English title list is almost written according to formal DVD translation, and asterisk marks mean personal translation, which is because their English names do not exist in it.

Reception

The series was aired in South Korea in the early 2000s by South Korean public broadcasters Seoul Broadcasting System, SBS and EBS under the original name, as well as on

KBS The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS; ) is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters under the government of South Korea. The KBS operates seven radio net ...

under the title "Raccoon and Forest Friends" () due to the

Sunshine Policy The Reconciliation and Cooperation Policy Towards the North (), colloquially referred to as Sunshine Policy () is one of the approaches for South Korea's foreign policy towards North Korea, lasting from 1998 to 2008 and again from 2017 to 2020. ...

which eased restrictions on North Korean media and promoted inter-Korean cooperation notably fields of culture and art. Due to the show's little to no propaganda, it is one of the few North Korean programmes that do not violate the National Security Act. In the late 2000s, it was dubbed into English by

Mondo TV Mondo TV is an Italian production and television distribution company. Founded by Orlando Corradi in 1985 and based in Rome, Mondo TV is a public company, quoted on the STAR segment of the Italian main stock exchange, Borsa Italiana. It distrib ...

as ''The Little Bear'' which is not to be confused with the '' Little Bear'' series of books.

Philately

On June 21, 1989, North Korea issued three

postage stamps A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the ...

, dedicated to ''Measurement of Height,'' an episode of the series.

Notes

External links

* {{IMDb title, 5493240 1987 North Korean television series debuts 1980s North Korean television series 1980s animated comedy television series 1990s North Korean television series 1990s animated comedy television series 2000s North Korean television series 2000s animated comedy television series 2010s North Korean television series 2010s animated comedy television series 2020s animated comedy television series North Korean animated television series