Squirrel and Hedgehog () is a North Korean animated series made by SEK Studio. Squirrel and Hedgehog is one of the most popular animated series in North Korea. The show was supposedly discontinued in 2012, which was around the time North Korean state television changed its broadcasting schedule, which cut several animated programs along with it.
The first episode of the show, produced in 1977, is based on a short novel published in a North Korean children's magazine in the 1970s. The short film was so popular with the public that the crew decided to turn the show into a series. In 2006, the producers said the show would be in production.
The series was re-aired on Korean Central Television since July 2023 for the show's 46th anniversary. It is currently being re-aired as of July 2025.
A sequel is currently in production, according to a report from the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling party of North Korea.
A loosely defined territory composed of a variety of terrains such forests, tundras, and deserts. The territory is inhabited by a plethora of creatures, most of whom reside in their own individual villages corresponding to their species. These creatures most commonly include squirrels, hedgehogs, and ducks, with minorities of animals such as bears and rabbits being present as well. Flower Hill operates as a democratic, diverse, communitarian, and heavily militarized federation of villages attempting to live and prosper in harmony in spite of the imperialistic aggression from their neighboring territory and archenemy, the Weasel Empire.
In the first episode of the series, "Lesson for the Squirrel" Flower Hill, or at the very least Squirrel Village of which both Geumsaegi and Juldarami originate from, exists as a humble and rural village within the forests of Flower Hill, operating as a democratic and communitarian society, defended solely by a brown bear known in English as Gom, though most commonly referred to as "Uncle Bear", a large, rugged, well-meaning but slightly narcissistic and arrogant bear who serves as protector of Squirrel Village.
However, when Mice from the neighboring Weasel Empire sway Bear into accepting a package of alcohol (Likely meant to be vodka) from them, he becomes severely drunk and passes out. Once rendered unresponsive, Weasel and Mice soldiers from the Empire would assault the Village and proceed to pillage and burn it with no retaliation from its residents.
Following this brutal and devastating attack on the village, Bear would be deemed unreliable and a liability to the continued existence of the Village, and was likely relieved of his duties subsequently after. Squirrel Village would thus establish its own military with assistance from neighboring Hedgehogs, and would proceed to wage war against the Weasel Empire for the attack on the Village. From this moment forward, Flower Hill would undergo a significant period of militarization, stockpiling an arsenal of firearms, tanks, battleships, artillery, and other such equipment to defend itself from the Weasel Empire.
Flower Hill has served as the primary subject of discussion of whether or not Squirrel And Hedgehog serves as a creative work intended to instill and enforce anti-American, anti-Japanese, anti-South Korean, and or general anti-Western sentiments amongst the youth of North Korea.
Flower Hill has been claimed by viewers and critics of the show on many occasions to serve as an allegory for North Korea and its conflicts both past and present with opposing nations such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
Many have cited Flower Hill's passivism and humble rural environment and lifestyle, in contrast to the brutal and aggressive imperialism, industrialism, and militarism of the Weasel Empire as being a correlation between pre-divided Korea and the Empire of Japan respectively. This is credited significantly further by the response of Flower Hill to the assault on the squirrel village by the Weasel Empire in the series, that being to significantly militarize itself in order to effectively defend itself from further threats by such imperialistic forces, a plot point that is in direct parallel with North Korea's own authoritarian, militaristic, and Stalinist policies born out of decades of historical trauma inflicted by Imperial Japan through the brutal colonization of Korea.
These events in the show have been associated by viewers and critics to historical and or real world events and ideas, most prominently, the invasion and annexation of Korea by the Empire of Japan, as well as one of the fundamental policies of North Korea's state ideology and politics, Songun ("Military First"). An idea turned state policy by first Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, one which dates back as far as the 1930s during his years as a guerrilla fighting against the Empire of Japan. Songun is a policy that prioritizes the Korean People's Army as being a fundamental and intrinsic part of North Korea's innerworkings and politics. This ideology was implemented as a policy in North Korea in 1962, however would be discussed by Kim-Il Sung decades prior in a plethora of his own written works, with him emphasizing a strong, fierce, ideologically homogenous military being essential to the establishment and continued existence of an independent Korea following the decades of brutal colonialism and occupation of the Korean peninsula by the Empire of Japan, emphasized even further following the Korean War between North Korea and the U.S led U.N intervention in support of South Korea.
These historical events have been compared to the events of the first episode of the series, in which the passive, rural territory of Flower Hill, is assaulted by an aggressive, militaristic, Imperial Empire whose brutality includes the pillaging and burning of a village inhabited by vulnerable and passive squirrels. The only virtual difference being, that whereas the Korean peninsula was successful occupied and annexed by the Japanese and decades of brutal imperial rule ensued. Flower Hill would instead successfully defend itself from suffering such a fate, with this being interpreted as North Korea's way of illustrating "what could've been" if it had the military prowess.
Furthermore, other such correlations made between Flower Hill and North Korea, include how Flower Hill operates. With the territory being depicted as a communitarian utopia, which can be interpreted as being socialist or communist in practice, alongside this, the illustration of Flower Hill as a utopian commune is also correlated to how North Korea prefers its people to view their country through extensive propaganda such as Squirrel And Hedgehog. It also has been claimed on numerous occasions that Uncle Bear represents the Soviet Union, not only due to bears famously being associated with Russia, but also due to Uncle Bear's status as protector of the squirrel village, which represents North Korea. This is further evidenced by how the leadership and inhabitants of the squirrel village relieve Bear of his duties following his failure to protect them from the Weasel Empire's attack. This has been historically connected to North Korea's fierce desire for independence along with their attempts at distancing itself from the Soviet Union politically, economically, and militarily, despite having required substantial assistance from outside second world nations to continue thoroughly functioning. Bear's consumption of alcohol reminiscent of vodka, an alcoholic beverage originating from Russia, has also been used as evidence to claim that Bear serves as a representation of the Soviet Union.
SEK Studios, upon being made aware of these claims, would deny them by stating that Flower Hill, along with the antagonists of the series such as the Weasel Empire, do not serve to represent any past or present political entity such as North Korea or Japan. With the studio instead stating that Flower Hill served to inspire patriotism and dedication to North Korea in the same vein amongst the youth of North Korea, rather than to directly symbolize any nation in particular.
They are a barbaric imperialistic regime composed predominantly of weasels, with a significant population of mice and crows as well. In the series, they serve solely to attempt to occupy and or destroy Flower Hill by any means necessary, along with pillaging their villages of all their resources, and likely enslaving all of their inhabitants as well.
The empire is heavily militarized, having significant manpower, advanced technology such as tanks, battleships, and an arsenal of devastating, advanced weaponry, such as a cryogenic cannon that can turn entire islands into uninhabitable frozen tundras and effectively kill all life present on them.
The empire's ground forces is composed of both weasels and mice, with mice comprising majority of the military's personnel, with them only ever serving as foot soldiers for the most part. Weasels also comprise a significant percentage of the empire's military, albeit slightly less prominently, with Weasels serving in positions of command and leadership. Crows serve as the empire's airforce, participating primarily in aerial assaults and reconnaissance, the membership of their navy is not based on species.
The empire would be dissolved in the planned series finale "'Pangulggot' in the flames", in which Geumsaegi, along with collaboration from the armed forces of Flower Hill, would lead an assault against a prominent military base of the empire's that had been housing important commanders and generals. Following the infiltration of the base by Geumsaegi using a tank, along with the combined efforts of Flower Hill, the base would be completely destroyed, with both the General Commander and numerous other prominent figures such as Black Weasel perishing in the assault.
Like in the case of Flower Hill, the weasels' depiction in Squirrel and Hedgehog is a prominent subject in the long-standing discussion in whether or not the series itself serves to propagate and enforce anti-American, anti-Western, and most especially in this case anti-Japanese sentiment amongst the youth of North Korea.
The weasels has countless times been associated by viewers and critics of the series of intending to symbolize Japan, more specifically the Empire of Japan, attributed to the latter's extensive and brutal occupation and oppression of the Korean peninsula and its people from 1910 to 1945 until its liberation by the Allies in the concluding years of World War II.
The most prominent correlations cited between the weasels and Imperial Japan is their imperialistic ambitions and militarism, the crimes committed against groups they perceive as inferior, that being the people of Flower Hill in the context of the show, as well as their subjugation and collaboration with native inhabitants of conquered territory, with the mice symbolizing those collaborationists in the series, more specifically Koreans who collaborated with Imperial Japan during Japanese rule. The symbolism of the Japanese being weasels can also be interpreted as hearkening back to stereotypes of the Japanese in media, with the weasels in the series and the common anti-Japanese and anti-imperialist stereotypes associated with the Japanese such as sharp, slanted, predatory eyes, razor sharp carnivorous teeth, and general cunning and predatory behavior, coinciding with their imperialistic and expansionist rhetoric.
Upon being made aware of these claims, SEK Studio would officially deny there being any real world parallels in the series, claiming that the antagonists of the series only served to represent imperialistic forces, rather than any political entity from the past or present.
There is speculation among overseas critics that the squirrels and hedgehogs are the North Koreans, the mice are the South Koreans, the bear is the Soviets, the weasels are the Japanese, the wolves are the Americans and the foxes are United States working class and minorities, which are argued to coincide with metaphorical interpretations of the country's geopolitical environment. But, this allegorical interpretation is never revealed in the series, and staff at the SEK Studio claimed that this allegorical interpretation is not true. They repeatedly alleged that this animation was created to teach love, friendship, and patriotism to children. However, Choi Sung-guk, a North Korean defector who worked at SEK Studio as an animator for several years, said that "weasels, mice, and wolves symbolize foreign invaders (imperialists)."
Jajusibo, South Korea's leading far-left and pro-North Korea media outlet, ran a column criticizing Westerners' allegorical interpretations of the show. Citing interviews with SEK staff, they pointed out that such political speculation about the show was "exaggerated by Westerners". One Yanbian Korean-Chinese netizen said, "I have loved this show since I was a child, but I never thought that such an allegorical interpretation exists in the show."
Meanwhile, The Chosun Ilbo, a conservative South Korean media outlet, criticized the show for being very violent, brutal, and blatantly allegorical propaganda.
There are no known official records of merchandise, but brands of toothpaste and backpacks depicting the main characters have been sold in North Korean stores, along with toy guns and figurines. There are also several statues in children's parks that are located in Pyongyang.
A few Squirrel and Hedgehog video games are known to exist such as the 2018 mobile game Brave Scouts (), which is described as a 3D shooter starring a squirrel and a hedgehog carrying out missions in the Weasel Den. Two unnamed arcade shooters have also been documented: both games have the player shoot weasels and mice, with at least one of them using a rifle as controller, and the other one featuring the heroes of the television series in the HUD.
Alongside the television show, a manhwa called Brave Hedgehog () was released in 1991. The story follows Detective Hedgehog who searches for an infiltrator from Manure Mountain in Flower Hill. There were several key differences between it and the television series, such as the character "Lt. Fox Vixen" originally being depicted as male. It is unknown why this change occurred, but it could be to acknowledge that the United States Armed Forces had allowed women to fight alongside male soldiers. A second issue of Brave Hedgehog was published the following year of 1992.
Another North Korean children's comic series with funny animals called Fighting Wisdom Hill () features characters from Squirrel and Hedgehog like Commander Darami and Goseumdochi, the hedgehog unit and the wolves.
The series was released in English and Spanish by Mondo TV, titled Brave Soldier and Soldados Valientes respectively. The series' plot was changed in the dubs, so that subtle references to North Korea or blatant propaganda would end up removed. This translation is often criticized for having generic voice actors and out of place audio dubbing. The second season was never dubbed due to licensing issues, as Mondo TV only owns the rights to the first selection of episodes.
The series has had various episodes remastered in 4k resolution by Yoldasi Films; a cooperative studio based in Michigan, boasting an audio and visual update of many episodes of Squirrel and Hedgehog. The remaster was made with the permission of, but not alongside Scientific Educational Korea (SEK). The remaster project was directed by Evan Kascinde and has various animators, audio experts and editors involved.