Calimero is a Japanese anime series (based on an Italian creation) about a charming, but hapless anthropomorphized cartoon chicken; the only black one in a family of yellow chickens. He wears half of his egg shell still on his head.
The characters were created by Nino and Toni Pagot and originated as a series of animated advertisements shown throughout Italy. The characters were later licensed to Japan as an anime series, twice. The first was made by Toei Animation and ran from October 15, 1974 to September 30, 1975, and the second, with new settings and characters, was made in 1992. Altogether, 99 Japanese episodes were made (47 in the 1974 Toei series, and 52 in the 1992 series).
Co-starring are his girlfriend Priscilla, a shy bird with common sense; Valeriano, a green bird who is obsessed with film-making; Susy, a wealthy girl duck; Piero (Susy's boyfriend), another wealthy green duck; and Rosella (Valeriano's girlfriend), another shy bird. The series mostly consists of the group's many adventures as they solve mysteries and make documentaries. However, their adventures usually get them into quite a bit of trouble.
Calimero is the name and subject of a Welsh language song by the Super Furry Animals.
Calimero's "little boy lost" persona and distinctive speech patterns caused him to have a worldwide fan base, which was officially headquartered in Hampton - a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
