is a Japanese anime created by Japanese writer Keiko Nagita under the pen name Kyoko Mizuki. It was published as a manga in April 1975 written by Mizuki and illustrated by Yumiko Igarashi, a collaboration which was put together by the Japanese magazine Nakayoshi that was interested in recreating a "masterpiece" manga in the same vein as Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, among others. The manga series ran for four years, and won the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for shà Âjo in 1977. The story was adapted into an anime series by Toei Animation. There are also three animated short films. In addition, a three-volume novel was published between 1978 and 1979. To create the story of Candy Candy, its author Keiko Nagita was primarily inspired by the novel Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster, in which the protagonists Jerusha Abbott and Jervis Pendleton fall in love despite their bond as guardian and ward, confirming in various interviews that the character Albert is Candy's true and destined love, being present in all phases of her life: past (prince), present (friend/guardian) and future (husband).
Candy Candy follows the titular character Candy, an abandoned orphan taken in by Pony's Home, an orphanage near Lake Michigan around the start of the 20th century. She spends the first years of her life at the orphanage, to where she would often return to repose and to decide the next course in her life. When Candy was six years old, Annie, her best friend at the orphanage, is adopted. Without her friend, Candy runs to Pony's Hill while crying, where she briefly meets a mysterious boy dressed in a Scottish kilt and carrying a bagpipe. When Candy turns 12, she is taken in by the Leagan family as a companion for their daughter Eliza. They treat her poorly but eventually make Candy a servant girl.
William Albert Ardley (Albert) is a key and central protagonist, who is fundamental to the plot. He is revealed as 'The Prince of the Hill', who shaped Candy's childhood and inspired her, being her most important figure, mentor, protector, even legal guardian, and future husband.
Albert is a powerful businessman who enjoys the simple life, loves to travel (especially to England where he completed his university studies), and has a special connection with animals (he has the gift of communicating with them through the mind). Throughout the story, it is revealed that he is actually 'Great-Uncle William'. At a very young age, he becomes the head of the Ardley family after his parents and his sister, Rosemary (Albert is Anthony's uncle), die, leaving him as the sole heir. It is Great-Aunt Elroy who does not allow him to reveal his identity, and that is why everyone knows him as "Albert".
He is the one who uttered the most important phrase in the franchise, the one that inspired Candy throughout her life and all generations in real life:
<blockquote>Why are you crying? You're much prettier when you laugh than when you cry.</blockquote>
At that moment, Candy smiles and gives the "Prince of the Hill" a flower. He then leaves without saying his name, but he loses a badge (happiness talisman) that Candy keeps as a lucky charm, being her proof that 'her prince' had not been a dream.
The Candy Candy manga was announced in the March 1975 issue of Nakayoshi. The first chapter was published in the following month, and continued until the last chapter in March 1979. The story, however, did not appear in the November 1975, December 1976, as well as January-June 1978 issues. The manga was published in nine volumes.
The anime adaptation of Candy Candy, produced by Toei Animation, began airing on TV Asahi a year and a half after the start of the original manga. It ran concurrently with the manga from October 1, 1976 to February 2, 1979. It was broadcast from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. and lasted 115 episodes. The final episode aired the day before the last chapter of the manga was published in Nakayoshi.
There are three animated theatrical short films: Candy Candy: The Call of Spring/The May Festival (1978), Candy Candy's Summer Vacation (1978) and Candy Candy the Movie (1992). In addition, episode 29, "Setting out on a Voyage Towards Hope", was screened in theaters in a blow-up format during the Toei Manga Matsuri in July 1977.
Kyoko Mizuki's Candy Candy novel, consisting of three volumes published between May 1978 and April 1979, has piqued the interest of Candy Candy fans outside Japan for some years. This novel was only available in Japan and published in Japanese. The third volume covers the period after the events chronicled in the manga and anime. The novels have been translated in their entirety by Western fans but the translations confirmed that, true to her artistic form, Kyoko Mizuki did not provide concrete closure to the story, yet in the last letter that closed out the novel, Candy was still an optimistic, life-loving and cheerful heroine.
In 1981, a Korean drama/family live action film based on the series was produced by Choi Chu-ji, directed by Choi In-hyeon, and written by Man Izawa. Choi Shin-hee starred, alongside Kim Do-hee, Eom Hyo-jeong Eom, Song Bo-geun, and Yoo Eun-suk. Due to licensing issues, the film was only released domestically.
An Indonesian television series adaptation titled Candy was produced by Sinemart. It was produced by Leo Sutanto and directed by Widi Wijaya and aired on channel RCTI in 2007, starring Rachel Amanda, Nimaz Dewantary, Lucky Perdana, and Bobby Joseph.
From 1980s to early 1990s, VHS within Japan and the rest of the world were being serialized and distributed under the approval of Toei Animation.
In the early 1990s, co-creators Mizuki and Igarashi, along with Toei Animation, battled over the legal ownership of the title. Igarashi was producing Candy Candy material without the consent of Mizuki or Toei. In 1998, Mizuki brought her case to a Tokyo district court to prove that she had equal rights of ownership of the Candy Candy title. In October 2001, the court ruled the case in favor of Mizuki and ordered Igarashi and five companies that distributed the unauthorized merchandise to pay Mizuki 29,500,000, or 3% of their sales. In June 2002, Igarashi sued Toei to enforce her rights on the Candy Candy trademark, forcing broadcasters to stop airing the series.
In September 2003, a toy manufacturer based in Misato, Saitama sued the two copyright managers of Candy Candy for 11 million for loss of revenue due to legal battle between Mizuki and Igarashi. The manufacturer was commissioned by the copyright managers to produce Candy Candy jigsaw puzzles without being informed that they could be immediately dismissed by Mizuki any time for copyright infringement. The Tokyo high court ordered the copyright managers to pay 7.8 million to the toy company.
In 2011, a parody of the series aired on Saturday Night Live sketch, "J-Pop! America Fun Time Now!"