One of my kids’ favorite non-Japanese TV shows is “SuperWhy!”. It is a show where cartoon characters solve problems using stories from fairytales and folktales while teaching children the ABC’s.
As I walked by my kids watching SuperWhy! this morning, I had to do a double-take when I saw the story of ももたろう/Momotaro on the show! I thought it was SuperCool! that they chose a Japanese folktale for an episode. They didn’t pronounce “Momotaro” correctly, but oh well. It is an older episode (season 1 episode 56). If you are interested, you can watch it via Hulu HERE.
If you want the REAL story of Momotaro, or “Peach Boy”, you can watch the video below:
This story is a great one to share with your children in preparation for the upcoming Setsubun holiday (February 3), because it will familiarize your children with “oni” (ogres). Other good Japanese children’s stories with ogres are “こぶとりじいさん/Kobu Toru Jiisan” and “いっすんぼうし/Issunboshi”.
Click HERE for a printable mask of Momotaro and other Japanese folklore characters, and HERE for a coloring page.
I just wanted to say thank you for your blog. I just discovered it, and I LOVE it! I was raised in Japan and so I speak some Japanese and know somewhat about the culture, and Japan is home to me. I now have 2 kids of my own and want to teach them about my homeland, but with a husband who doesn’t speak Japanese, it is difficult. You are a huge help! Thank you!
Thank you Hannah! Comments like this keep me motivated to blog :)
I just found the Momotarou book sets at the book shop near where I live, NJ. The great thing about the book set is that they come with a DVD and a CD, so you can listen and read along in hiragana at the same time.
Anyway, your blog is wonderful and the cartoons that I just saw are hilarious!
thanks! Barry
Thanks!
Hi HM,
I’ve been looking for the REAL story of Momotaro and found this page. I was curious to see if it really was the “real” story or not. But this video is just the same altered story as usual. I doubt they’d make the real story into a cartoon.
Do you know the real, unaltered story?
This is the typical story that children hear and see in picture books in Japan. I am not sure what you are talking about as far as the “real” story goes. Similar to the Grimm fairy tales, most ancient stories have been altered to make them more kid-friendly.