Squirrel and Hedgehog

‘Squirrel and Hedgehog’ (다람이와고슴도치 in Korean) is one of North Korea’s most popular animations. Or arguably the most well-known at least. It has gained a following both at home and abroad. Indeed, it’s one of those classics; Tom and Jerry, Micky Mouse… You’ve all heard of them.

And in North Korea, there are probably few that haven’t heard of Squirrel and Hedgehog.

The animation is shrouded in controversy. This is due to the fact that there are some that say the characters represent different countries. In turn, this holds metaphors important in terms of the country’s history and geography. (See more below on controversy).

As an animation, it’s mainly directed at children. The producers state that Squirrel and Hedgehog holds important messages teaching children good moral behaviour. However, with a lot of use of weapons, use of vulgar language, and themes of war, it’s not your average children’s show.

Squirrel and Hedgehog Storyline

Squirrel and Hedgehog are soldiers of ‘Flower Hill’. This is a mythical place in which the animals live in a woodland village. In the first episode, this village is then invaded by weasels and mice.

What follows in the rest of the surprisingly violent series is a storyline of them defending it from invaders. Widely recognised as propaganda, it is meant to distil to children important messages of loyalty, patriotism, and the importance of loving your home country and defending it.

Merchandise

There’s no “official” Squirrel and Hedgehog merchandise as you might find with Disney. Nevertheless, there are various products in North Korea depicting their images such as toys and stationery.

Controversy

Not confirmed but widely speculated, it is said that there are a lot of real-world parallels you can take from the series. The main ones being ‘Flower Hill’ related to the Korean peninsula, Squirrel and Hedgehog themselves as the Korean people, the weasels as Japanese, mice as South Koreans, and wolves as Americans.

The producing studio SEK Studio has claimed that this is in fact not true, and such a representation is never explicitly revealed in the series.

Timeline

1977-1982: Episodes 1-4

1990s: Episodes 5-14

1990s-2005: Episodes 15-26

2006: Series 2 ‘Operation Noose’

2008: Series 2 episodes 2 & 3

2010: Series 2 episodes 4 & 5

2013: Production entered hiatus.

So, that’s a brief introduction to this popular North Korean animation. The best way to find out more is to have a look for yourself. You can find videos on YouTube with English subtitles.