Asian Partridge Family

On this day, September 25, 1971 – The “Japanese Partridge Family” Cartoon made its debut on Japanese TV.

Exactly 1 year to the day that the original Partridge Family debuted on ABC in the United States, Japanese cartoonist Sid & Marty Toyota created a rip off cartoon series.

The Japanese Cartoon was titled “The Swan Family” and ran for over 40 years. It was a big smash all over Japan and South Korea. It evolved into “The Swan Family in Space”. Show creators raked in the dough, releasing albums and merchandise which earned them $50 Billion Yen, Or about $500 US Dollars.

The Swan Family was about a widowed mother, and her five children who embark on a music career. They drive around in a multi colored Bus along with their manager, Ichiban Kincaid. The mother, Yoko, was widowed after her husband committed “Hari Kari”. The kids are, Kyoko, Hoshi, Daisuke, Ichiro & Isuzu.

The cartoon series was cancelled in 2011 after an episode that made fun of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.