Squirrel and Hedgehog
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 Glorious animated series from True North Korea!
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Squirrel and Hedgehog (Chosŏn'gŭl: 다람이와 고슴도치 Dalam-iwa Goseumdochi, lit. Dharam and the hedgehog) is a North Korean animated series about two teenage anthropomorphic animals who fight an evil army.
Squirrel and Hedgehog is one of the most popular animated series in North Korea. The show was supposedly discontinued in 2012, which was around the time North Korean state television changed its broadcasting schedule, which cut several animated programs along with it.
The first episode of the show, produced in 1977, is based on a short novel published in a North Korean children's magazine in the 1970s. The short film was so popular with the public that the crew decided to turn the show into a series. In 2006, the producers said the show would be in production.
The series is currently being re-aired on Korean Central Television since July 2023 for the show's 46th anniversary.
Why It Shall Be Nuked
NOTE: Please don't call it a Sonic the Hedgehog rip-off just because one of the titular characters is a hedgehog, as it has nothing to do with Sonic, and this show came out 14 years before Sonic.
- It is one of those propaganda shows aired in North Korea, in fact, these types of shows always portray the U.S. in a very negative, but of course, xenophobic type of way. Sound familiar?
- Much like Tomorrow's Pioneers, there's a lot of graphic violence (such as murder and suicide) and swearing in this show, despite the fact that the show is made for children. The opening theme of the show labels it as a "Children's Cartoon", which leads to more irony.
- In fact, there's an episode where a character screams "Son of a bitch!", which is incredibly inappropriate for a show supposedly targeted at children
- Hidden political messages, considering the fact that it's a propaganda cartoon made to get children to have the same mindset as the people in the DPRK (North Korea).
- In addition of the aforementioned political messages, all characters represent some of the countries - brave squirrels, hedgehogs and ducks portray North Korea, strong but dumb bears portray Soviet Union/Russia while cowardly mice, nasty weasels and badass wolves portray South Korea, Japan and America respectively
- Half of the time, the lip-sync does not match the dialogue. Sometimes, the characters mouths do not move at all when they are speaking. This is especially apparent during the beginning of the show's 31st episode, "To the Den of the Wolf Unit".
- Odd sound effects. This is also apparent in the previously-mentioned 31st episode. In fact, in one scene, an opening door sounds more like a vibrating cell phone.
- The duck characters in the show looks strangely similar to Donald Duck, even wearing blue and white sailor uniforms similar to the one Donald uses. Either this is a coincidence, or North Korea intentionally plagiarized the design.
- The pacing is very mediocre and bland.
Redeeming Qualities
- The animation is pretty impressive for a 1977 cartoon, although the character animation is sometimes slow and the aforementioned lip-syncing could be touched upon and improved.
- The premise of an army of animals is actually quite interesting, despite the horrendous execution.
- It does have some sweet and heartwarming moments, despite the still-visible violent moments.
- Decent voice acting.
- The music is very well-composed.
- It's considered "so bad, it's good."
Controversy
There is speculation among overseas critics that the squirrels and hedgehogs are the North Koreans, the mice are the South Koreans, the bears are the Soviets, the weasels are the Japanese, the wolves are the Americans, and the foxes are United States working class and minorities, which are argued to coincide with metaphorical interpretations of the country's geopolitical environment. But, this allegorical interpretation is never revealed in the series, and staff at the SEK Studio claimed that this allegorical interpretation is not true. They repeatedly alleged that this animation was created to teach love, friendship, and patriotism to children. However, Choi Sung-guk, a North Korean defector who worked at SEK Studio as an animator for several years, said that "weasels, mice, and wolves symbolize foreign invaders (imperialists)."
Jajusibo, South Korea's leading far left and pro-North Korea media outlet, ran a column criticizing Westerners' allegorical interpretations of the show. Citing interviews with SEK staff, they pointed out that such political speculation about the show was "exaggerated by Westerners". One Yanbian Korean-Chinese netizen said, "I have loved this show since I was a child, but I never thought that such an allegorical interpretation exists in the show.".
Meanwhile, Chosun Ilbo, a conservative South Korean media outlet, criticized the show for being very violent, brutal, and blatantly allegorical propaganda.
Reception
The SEK Studio, the North Korean studio that produced this series, has also produced a number of stand-alone short cartoons with funny animal characters. Some of them are part of a large series named the Clever Raccoon Dog (령리한 너구리). Unlike Squirrel and Hedgehog, they are focused primarily on road safety education, science, sport, summer volunteer work etc.
Trivia
- The show has (ironically) garnered a huge fanbase overseas.
- Despite this, however, the show was actually banned outside North Korea for reasons stated earlier.
- An english dub of the show was produced under the name "Brave Soldiers"