Anpanman (アンパンマン) is a Japanese children's superhero picture book series written by Takashi Yanase, running from 1973 until the author's death in 2013.

The series follows the adventures of Anpanman, a superhero with an anpan (a red bean paste filled pastry) for a head, who protects the world from an evil anthropomorphic germ named Baikinman.

Heavily merchandised, the Anpanman characters appear on virtually every imaginable children's product in Japan, ranging from clothes[2] and video games to toys[3] and snack foods.

[6][7] Anpanman has sold over 80 million books as of February 2019, and the franchise generated ¥4.5 trillion in total retail sales revenue by 2013.

[8] During the Second World War, Takashi Yanase faced starvation countless times, which made him dream about eating an anpan.

Takashi Yanase wrote and illustrated the picture books until 2013, following his retirement from his career and eventual death.

The first anime adaptation of Anpanman, consisting of a single episode, aired during Spring Break Children's Hiroba - Picture Book on NHK General TV on March 13, 1979.

Like the early picture books, Anpanman's name in the title was written in hiragana (あんぱんまん) instead of katakana.

[16] On October 2, 2020, it was announced that the voice actors will now be recording lines in separate booths in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

In 2021, TMS Entertainment dubbed ten Anpanman movies into English and Spanish exclusively for Tubi.

[20][21] The first movie, Apple Boy and Everyone's Hope, was released on April 15, 2021 (which was the first Takashi Yanase anime production since Ringing Bell to be presented in an English dub).

In 2011, research by Bandai found Anpanman to be the most popular fictional character among people aged 0 to 12 in Japan for 10 consecutive years.

[27] By the time Takashi Yanase passed away in 2013, the Anpanman picture books had sold 68 million copies.

[29] As of March 2021[update], Bandai Namco has sold 2.39 million Anpanman PC units since 1999, including tablet computers.

[30] Retail sales of Anpanman related products grossed an annual revenue of at least ¥150 billion consecutively for nearly 30 years.

The K-pop group BTS released a song in their hit album Love Yourself: Tear under the name "Anpanman" with many references to the series.