Jewelpet
Encyclopedia
is a toy line created as a joint venture between Sanrio
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...

 and the toy division of video game giant Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

. The toy line was originally released on January 15, 2008, focusing on animals named after jewels, birthstones and minerals, who can use magic using their eyes. Due to the success of the franchise, Sanrio and Sega Toys have plans for an overseas expansion of the Jewelpet franchise, but it is unknown if the expansion plan will ever include the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Summary

Similar to Webkinz
Webkinz
Webkinz are toy stuffed animals that were originally released by the Canadian Ganz company on April 29, 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however, each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique "Secret Code" printed on it that allows access to the "Webkinz World" website...

, Jewelpet is a toy line that has internet connectivity capabilities using special passwords. Sega Toys collaborated with Sanrio to release the first line of of plush toys featuring the characters from the series in January 15, 2008. Each plush Jewelpet contains a password to access the Web-Gurumi website, a special site in which the customer "adopts" this pet in the virtual world, similar to Webkinz's Webkinz World website. Like Webkinz, if the user doesn't have the password, the user may not get access to the website. Accounts expire within one year, unless another Jewelpet toy is bought, and that animal added to the user account.

As of 2011, the Web-Gurumi website is now replaced by a newer site, Jewelpet Online.

The Jewelpets

The Jewelpets are 37 magical animals named after famous birthstones, minerals and jewels. They each have a different kind of sparkling jewel for their eyes, used for casting special magic called "Jewel Flash". According to the series, They were created by the Great Magicians long ago and live in a mystical place called Jewel Land, attending a school to learn more about magic and each of them were paired by their own human partners. The Jewelpet's Magic are divided into two sides: Light Magic and Dark Magic.

Jewel Land

is the homeworld of the Jewelpets and the great magicians. It is also a magical place where all Jewelpets study magic and be friends with their fellow humans and magicians. The whole place is filled with colored trees, magical gemstone bushes and crystals and the whole geography is composed to two islands: the main island and the uninhabited smaller one. Magic and Alchemy is the main education in Jewel Land. The notable places in Jewel Land is the Magic Academy, where all Jewelpets attend Magic Classes to study magic and alchemy, the Strawberry Cafe, a famous spot where Jewelpets get together for a snack and the Jewel Tower, on which the Four Great Witches of Jewel Land and Jewelina live.

Merchandise

As with other Sanrio character franchises such as Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...

, My Melody, Sugarbunnies
Sugarbunnies
is a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation, in conjunction with Sanrio. The series centers around and is based on the character duo of the same name, created by Sanrio in 2004. The original series premiered on TV Tokyo and Kids Station on April 3, 2007 and ended later that year with 27...

 and Cinnamoroll, Jewelpet merchandise mostly consists of stationery, school supplies, bags, raincoats, umbrellas, bento boxes and even toy replicas of the Jewel Stick and Jewel Pocketbook from the anime series. A Trading Card Game spinoff was also released by Bushiroad, the creators of the Weiß Schwarz
Weiß Schwarz
is a Japanese collectible card game created by Bushiroad. Weiß Schwarz is a star system japanese trading card game created by Bushiroad. The game is separated into Weiß-side and Schwarz-side. Weiß & Schwarz is German for white and black respectively. The Weiß-side features mostly anime series while...

, Alice X Cross and Cardfight!! Vanguard
Cardfight!! Vanguard
is a Japanese trading card game created in collaboration between Akira Itō , Satoshi Nakamura , and Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani. A 2011 anime television series based on the game was produced by TMS Entertainment and aired in Japan on TV Tokyo starting on January 8, 2011. In addition to the...

 Trading Card Games. Both the starter set and booster packs were released on July 30, 2009.

Anime

An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 adaptation of the series, titled Jewelpet was produced by Studio Comet
Studio Comet
is an animation studio based in Tokyo, Japan. It was established January 21, 1986.-Notable staff:*Hiroshi Kanazawa *Kazuo Harada *Shin Misawa...

 and premiered on April 5, 2009 on TV Osaka
TV Osaka
is a TV station affiliated with TXN in Osaka, Japan. The mascot character is "Takoru-kun" .-Offices:*The headquarters - 1-2-18, Otemae, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan...

 and TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

, replacing Onegai My Melody Kirara★
Onegai My Melody
is an Japanese anime series based on the Sanrio character, My Melody. Produced by Studio Comet, it ran 3 April 2005 to 26 March 2006 on Animax, TV Osaka and TV Tokyo, spanning 52 episodes. A sequel, Onegai My Melody ~Kuru Kuru Shuffle!~, ran 2 April 2006 to 23 March 2007. With its next sequel,...

 in its initial timeslot. The series also recently aired in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 on YOYO TV, and premiered as part the Boing programming block on the Telecinco
Telecinco
Telecinco is a Spanish commercial television channel operated by Mediaset España. Launched in 1990 as Tele 5, it was the fifth of the national terrestrial television channels. In 1997, Tele 5 was rebranded as Telecinco, dropping the flower logo seen in other Mediaset channel...

 television network in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 in April 2010. In February 2011 the series aired in Italy on Italia 1
Italia 1
Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival...

. A second series, titled began airing on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

 on April 3, 2010 and concluded its broadcast on April 2, 2011. A third series titled premiered in April 9, 2011.

The character designs of the Jewelpets and the human characters were handled by Tomoko Miyakawa of Onegai My Melody
Onegai My Melody
is an Japanese anime series based on the Sanrio character, My Melody. Produced by Studio Comet, it ran 3 April 2005 to 26 March 2006 on Animax, TV Osaka and TV Tokyo, spanning 52 episodes. A sequel, Onegai My Melody ~Kuru Kuru Shuffle!~, ran 2 April 2006 to 23 March 2007. With its next sequel,...

 fame in the first series. Yukiko Ibe, character designer of Nanatsuiro Drops
Nanatsuiro Drops
is a Japanese visual novel developed by UNiSONSHIFT and released on April 21, 2006. The first version, available on the PC, contains adult-only content. A version ported to the PlayStation 2 by MediaWorks was released without this content on September 20, 2007...

 handles the human character designs for the second series while Mariko Fujita, character designer of Galaxy Angel
Galaxy Angel
In the video game universe, the Galaxy Angels are from the "Special Guardian Division" and they work closely with the "Imperial Special Guards" and the "Satellite Defense Teams". They are the guardians of the White Moon, the sacred planet of the Transbaal Empire, and the personal protectors of the...

 handles the human character designs for the third series.

Manga

Two manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 spinoffs were created, and are both serialized by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

. Each were published during the airing of the anime series. The first one was serialized in the Shōjo Magazine Pucchigumi with illustrations by Mako Morie in 2009. The first series ended in the same year. The second manga series was then serialized in the Shōjo Magazine Ciao
Ciao (magazine)
is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shogakukan for young girls . The first issue was launched in 1977. As of 2009, the circulation was 815,455. Formerly, the magazine attached paper crafts, but now attaches various goods that are different every month...

 in February 2010 with illustrations and story by Sayuri Tatsuyama under Sanrio and Sega Toys' permission. The second manga series is tied in with the second season.

Games

Four video games were also made to tie in with the toy and anime franchises, three were for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 one for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...

 and one for the video game arcades in Japan.

Jewelpet: Cute Magic Fantasy

is a Rhythmic Music Game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 developed by MTO
MTO (video game company)
MTO, which stands for Motorsports Software Technical Office, is a Yokohama-based video game developer and publisher founded in May 1996. The company is most known for the GT series of games that it has released and the more recent pet games such as Dogz and Catz.-Games developed:-Games published:...

 and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

 released on April 30, 2010. The game utilizes the Nintendo DS console in a horizontal layout and uses the DS Stylus to navigate through the game. Magic sessions were also utilized by the stylus as well, letting the player touch the flowers appearing on the screen to successfully synchronize with the music. Wi-Fi Connection is also available, allowing online gameplay with other players.

Jewelpet: DS Magic Kirapi Kariin

is a Rhythmic Music Game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 and the second of the Jewelpet DS games series developed by MTO
MTO (video game company)
MTO, which stands for Motorsports Software Technical Office, is a Yokohama-based video game developer and publisher founded in May 1996. The company is most known for the GT series of games that it has released and the more recent pet games such as Dogz and Catz.-Games developed:-Games published:...

 and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

 released on December 17, 2009. It's the sequel to Jewel Pet: Cute Magic Fantasy and the game is based on the Jewelpet anime itself. The gameplay is like the first game but with major additions such as adding the microphone feature, character voices from the anime and VS Magic sessions. Interactions with your Jewelpet is introduced in this game.

Jewelpet: The Glittering Magical Jewel Box

is a Puzzle game for the Arcades
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...

 developed and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

. Officially released in 2010, The game uses collectible cards that can be linked into the game and the main objective is to collect jewels to gain several bonuses. The gameplay is in the style of Columns
Columns (video game)
is a puzzle video game, first created in 1989 by Jay Geertsen. Early versions of the game were made and ported among early computer platforms, and then the Atari ST, until 1990, when Jay Geertsen sold the rights to Sega, where it was ported to several Sega consoles.-Description:The game takes...

, considering it as an arcade style spiritual sequel.

Jewelpet: Let's play Together in the Room of Magic!

is a Life Simulation Game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 and the third of the Jewelpet DS games developed by MTO
MTO (video game company)
MTO, which stands for Motorsports Software Technical Office, is a Yokohama-based video game developer and publisher founded in May 1996. The company is most known for the GT series of games that it has released and the more recent pet games such as Dogz and Catz.-Games developed:-Games published:...

 and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

, released on August 5, 2010. Unlike the past two games, the third one utilizes the Nintendo DS console in a vertical layout and is based on the Jewelpet Twinkle anime. It has a different gameplay style, which departs from the first two sequels and has a few improvements made in the gameplay such as improved interactions with your Jewelpet, accessories for the Jewelpet characters, mini-games and newer magic sessions.

Jewelpet: Magical Rhythm Yay!

is a Rhythmic Music/Life Simulation Game for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...

 and the first Jewelpet 3DS game developed by Furyu and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

, released on November 10, 2011. The game adapts both the musical elements of the first two Nintendo DS games as well as the life simulation elements of the third game using the 3DS's Augmented reality system. It also adapts certain elements from third anime series, Jewelpet Sunshine
Jewelpet (anime)
is a magical girl anime series based on the Jewelpet franchise jointly created by Sanrio and Sega. The series was produced by Studio Comet and aired from April 5, 2009 to March 26, 2010 on TV Osaka and TV Tokyo, replacing Onegai My Melody Kirara★ in its initial timeslot...

.

Events

Several musicals were held in Sanrio Puroland
Sanrio Puroland
is an indoor theme park located in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan that attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year.Opened on December 7, 1990, the theme park is run by the Sanrio company, and hosts various musicals, restaurants, attractions, and theme rides using popular characters such as Hello...

, featuring the four main Jewelpets, Ruby, Sapphy, Garnet and Labra. Some of the musicals also feature other Sanrio characters.

Reception

Jewelpet ranked 3rd place in the Bandai Child Questionnaire, due to its popularity with children aged 6 to 8 years old and older females alike. Anime wise, The first Jewelpet anime ranked 7th in the Kanto Video Research, from December 27, 2009 to January 3, 2010 after airing Episodes 39 and 40.

External links

Sega's Official Website Sanrio's official Jewelpet Website
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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