Fables of the Green Forest

Reader's Guide

Fables of the Green Forest holds significance as Zuiyo Eizo's first independent production and as an early entry in the Calpis Comic Theater (later World Masterpiece Theater) anthology. The series was broadcast in numerous countries worldwide, including Italy, Germany, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Venezuela, Bahrain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, the Emirates, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Panama, Cyprus, New Zealand, Brazil, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Namibia, Hong Kong, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland, Jamaica, and Zimbabwe. In Canada, a second English dub titled Friends of the Green Forest aired on TVOKids in the 1990s. In the United Kingdom, only the first 30 episodes were broadcast on ITV in 1982 due to the introduction of the Children's ITV service; some remaining episodes aired sporadically on Channel 4 in the early 1990s. The series' opening theme (Japanese version) is "Midori no Hidamari" by Micchī (Mitsuko Horie) and Chatterers.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on books published in the 1910s and 1920s by Thornton W. Burgess.
• It was Zuiyo Eizo's first independent production as part of the Calpis Comic Theater.
• The character Bobby Raccoon wears pants and suspenders.

Origins & Production

The anime adaptation of Thornton W. Burgess's beloved animal stories, originally published as a book series during the 1910s and 1920s, found new life on Japanese television in the early 1970s. Titled Yama Nezumi Rokkī Chakku (literally 'Rocky Chuck, the Mountain Rat'), the show also circulated under several other names including Rocky Chuck the Woodchuck, Chuck the Beaver, and simply Johnny Chuck. The fifty-two-episode series aired on Fuji Television from 7 January through 30 December 1973, giving it a full calendar year of weekly storytelling. The production was a landmark moment for the animation studio Zuiyo Eizo, as it marked their very first independently produced series. The show was developed as part of the Calpis Comic Theater programming block, a franchise that would later be rebranded as the World Masterpiece Theater. This connection to a prestigious anthology slot signaled that the series was intended to carry the weight of classic literary adaptation into the realm of modern animation, bridging early twentieth-century children's literature with the emerging golden age of Japanese television.

Story & Characters

At the heart of the series are the daily adventures of Johnny Chuck (often called Rocky), a woodchuck, and his devoted mate Polly, as they navigate life in the idyllic Green Forest. Their world is populated by a wonderfully diverse cast of woodland neighbours, including Peter Rabbit, Uncle Billy Possum, Chatterer the Red Squirrel, and Bobby Raccoon, a character distinguished by his habit of wearing pants and suspenders. Other residents include Reddy the Fox, Sammy Jay the blue jay, Grandfather Frog, Old Man Toad, Buster the black bear, Red Tail Hawk, Harry Mink (known as Billy in the original books), Jimmy Skunk, Joe Otter, Paddy Beaver, and Danny Meadowmouse. Even the human world intrudes through Tom, the son of Farmer Brown, and his loyal hound Bowser. The narrative centres on the community's collective efforts to survive and thrive against the constant threats posed by predators such as the weasel, the fox, and man himself. Rather than relying on a single hero, the stories emphasise cooperation and neighbourly solidarity as the forest animals band together to protect one another.

Global Broadcast Reach

One of the most remarkable aspects of this series is the sheer breadth of its international distribution. Beyond its original Japanese run, the show was broadcast across an extraordinary range of countries and territories spanning every inhabited continent. In Europe it reached audiences in Italy on TMC, Germany via Bayerischer Rundfunk, Spain on both TVE and Canal Nou, Romania on TVR 1, Portugal on RTP, the United Kingdom on ITV and Channel 4, Ireland on RTÉ One, the Netherlands on TROS, Poland on TVP1, and Cyprus on METV. Across the Americas it aired in Canada (dubbed in both English and French on TVOntario, Knowledge Network, and CBLFT-DT), Venezuela on VTV, Brazil on SBT, Panama on SCN-TV, Jamaica on JBC, and Trinidad and Tobago on TTT. In Asia and the Middle East the series was carried in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Iran, Israel (where it was dubbed in Hebrew), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Hong Kong on both ATV and TVB. In Africa it reached Nigeria, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, while Australia received it on Network Ten and New Zealand on TV One.

Legacy & Later Broadcasts

The series left a lasting footprint well beyond its initial 1973 run. In Canada, ZIV International handled the English-language release in 1978, introducing the show to a new generation of young viewers. Decades later, a second English dub appeared under the title Friends of the Green Forest, which found a home on TVOKids via TVOntario during the 1990s, giving the material a fresh start for a new audience. The United Kingdom's experience with the series was more complicated. The original ITV transmission in 1982 was cut short after only thirty of the fifty-two episodes had aired, as the network dropped the show when the new Children's ITV service launched in January 1983 and absorbed the programme's former timeslot. The remaining episodes surfaced sporadically in the early 1990s during the 'Early Morning' weekend segment on Channel 4. The series' opening theme, 'Midori no Hidamari,' performed by Mitsuko Horie (credited as Micchī) alongside the group Chatterers, became a memorable part of the show's identity in Japan. Together, these later broadcasts and the enduring presence of the music underscore how a single animated adaptation of early twentieth-century children's books could continue to find new audiences across multiple decades and continents.

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