Monchhichi
| MONCHHICHI THEME SONG | COLORING PAGES | EPISODE GUIDE | 1980s TV COMMERCIAL MONCHHICHI DOLLS | MINI PVC FIGURINES | MONCHHICHI COSTUMES |
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| The Monchhichis Lyrics
[sung in an accented male voice] Way up in the trees live the Monchhichis They love to laugh and play Oh-oh... But the Grumplins very mean to the Monchhichis Chi chi chi |
| "Monchhichi Monchhichi, oh so soft and cuddly!" If you grew up during the 1980s, you may have heard this advertising jingle more than a few times. Of course, the dolls are what Monchhichis are all about - and they're definitely cute, soft, cuddly - and Japanese! Well where did you think they got that crazy name?
First off, what are these little guys? Monchhichis are fuzzy, adorable monkey-ish buddies who live atop the trees, above the clouds in the forest land of Monchia. The Monchhichi leader is a wizard named Wizzar who is enjoined in a magical battle with the Monchhichis enemy, the Grumplins of Grumplor. The Monchhichis began life on January 25, 1974 by Koichi Sekiguchi at the Sekiguchi Corporation in Japan. The Japanese word for Monchhichis is モンチッチ. They were known in Japan as Futago no Monchihichi, which translates to Monchhichi Twins. Mr. Sekiguchi says the dolls were created to inspire "respect and love" among both the old and young. This is kind of like an American saying he released a product because he wanted "to just make people happy". It's kind of a pat line but who can argue with the charms of a cute fuzzy doll? The dolls branched out to the world of television and the Japanese version of the Monchhichis show ran until 1980. After conquering Japan, the small but ambitious Monchhichis began their plan for world domination. In 1975 the dolls expanded into West Germany, Australia and finally all of Western Europe! |
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In 1979, Monchhichis reached the United States and began to sell well. Mattel purchased a license and teamed up with Hanna-Barbera as co-producers to make a new TV series. When Hanna Barbera turned the dolls into an animated TV show, they shortened the name to Monchihichi. The show debuted September 10, 1983 on ABC. The program was not highly rated but it definitely increased demand for one thing in particular - Monchihichi Dolls! This makes sense, as toymaker Mattel was co-producer of the TV show, and the show itself was actually modeled on the toy line. The animated show ran for one year in 1983.
What are the Monchhichis up to? Well, the Japanese version is still going strong, and there is an official English language version of the Monchhichi website. In the United States, as of June 2008, you can still see the Monchhichis at the Disney's Epcot Center World Showcase Japan section. You can even buy Monchhichis at Epcot! Around the world, the Monchhichis TV Show is broadcast on Boomerang and Cartoon Network.
Monchhichi Trivia: Monchhichis were known as Kiki in France, Chicaboo in the United Kingdom and Mon Cicci in Italy.
| The Monchhichis Commercial Song Lyrics
Monchhichi Monchhichi |
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