Tatsunoko Production

Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio with a long and storied history. Founded on October 19, 1962, by manga artist Tatsuo Yoshida and his brothers Kenji Yoshida and Ippei Kuri, the studio initially operated as a manga studio before transitioning to animation three years later with its first television series, Space Ace. Since then, Tatsunoko has produced a wide array of anime, including Speed Racer, Gatchaman, The Genie Family, the Time Bokan series, Samurai Pizza Cats, Pinocchio: The Series, The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee, and The Littl' Bits. The studio holds numerous original rights and character copyrights, and its work spans action, comedy, science fiction, and domestic dramas, often with a stateless, globally accessible sensibility.

Tatsunoko is recognized as one of Japan's leading anime studios, known for its in-house production system that handled everything from planning to editing, a model that outlasted similar setups at Toei Animation and Mushi Production. Founder Tatsuo Yoshida championed realistic animation, a departure from the era's typical deformation. For Mach GoGoGo, he rented a driving school to capture authentic car spins, leading to a hard-action style that became a studio hallmark. However, this detailed approach proved challenging for animators, and the studio nearly collapsed until a simple comedy production eased the workload, teaching Tatsunoko to balance serious action with lighter fare.

In 2005, Takara acquired an 88% stake in the studio, and after Takara merged with Tomy to form Takara Tomy, Nippon Television Holdings took ownership in 2014. The name "Tatsunoko" carries a double meaning: "Tatsu's child," referencing founder Tatsuo, and "seahorse," which inspired the logo. [edit]