It’s not beer or cheese… Wisconsin’s most well-known world-wide export could be “Rascal the Raccoon,” the star of a 52-episode Japanese anime watched by millions around the world.
Because of this animated series, millions know Wisconsin’s farms and fields, small town life, Lake Koshkonong and the Rock River, and the north woods at Three Lakes and the animals that live there.
Millions watched in Japan in 1977. Since then, millions more watched it dubbed into German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Tagalog, Afrikaans, Ukrainian, Mandarin and Korean – yet the series is virtually unknown in the United States because there is no English version.
“Rascal” is a year in the life of a boy who adopts a raccoon. Author Sterling North grew up in Edgerton, Wisconsin. His 1963 book “Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era” sold more than 2.5 million copies.
In 1969, “Rascal” also became a Disney movie – the only one set entirely in Wisconsin.
In 1949, North’s book “So Dear To My Heart” became Disney’s second live-action film.
“Starring Rascal” is a deep dive into the multi-verse of all the “Rascal” stories – the book itself, the Japanese anime, his Disney movies, and all the details of Sterling North’s life that became part of his books.
In November 2024, PBS Wisconsin’s “Wisconsin Life” show featured a segment about the Sterling North Museum. It includes an interview with author John Foust.
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“Araiguma Rascal” is copyright 1977 by Nippon Animation Co. Ltd. Of Tokyo, Japan.
Sterling and Rascal image adapted from the 2012 stamp series “Anime Hero and Heroine Series, Volume 18, Rascal the Raccoon” used with permission from Japan Post Co., Ltd.