Superbook (1981 TV series)
Japanese Christian anime series from 1981.
Superbook (スーパーブック, Sūpābukku), also referred to as *Animated Parent and Child Theatre* (アニメ 親子劇場, Anime Oyako Gekijō), is a Japanese Christian anime series that first aired in 1981. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions for TV Tokyo in Japan, in partnership with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States. The series covers stories from both the Old and New Testaments over the course of 52 episodes. The first 26 episodes were broadcast in Japan from October 9, 1981, to March 29, 1982. A second season, titled *Superbook II: In Search for Ruffles and Return to the 20th Century* (パソコントラベル探偵団, Pasokon Toraberu Tanteidan), followed with another 26 episodes airing from April 4 to September 26, 1983.
The 1981 series opens with a young boy named Christopher "Chris" Peeper, who finds an ancient Bible called Superbook. This book can speak and transport Chris, his friend Joy, and his wind-up toy robot Gizmo back in time to witness events from the Old and New Testaments. In the second season, set two years later, Superbook’s contents are absorbed into a computer, allowing anyone to view the past through a monitor. Chris’s poodle, Ruffles, becomes lost in time, prompting Gizmo and Chris’s younger brother (or cousin in the English dub), Uriah "Uri" Peeper, to search for her. While Chris and Joy monitor the computer in the present, Gizmo and Uri experience Old Testament stories. They finally find Ruffles in episode 25. In the final two episodes, Chris’s Uncle Ken (Uri’s father in the English dub) helps fix the computer and Gizmo’s time-travel abilities, allowing Chris and Joy to join Gizmo and Uri for two more Old Testament tales.
Key characters include Chris Peeper (voiced by Masako Sugaya in Japanese season one, Asami Mukaidono in season two, and Billie Lou Watt in English), his neighbor Joy (Katsue Miwa in Japanese season one, Takako Tsutsui in season two, Sonia Owens in English), and Gizmo (Hiroshi Masuoka in Japanese, Helena van Koert and Billie Lou Watt in English)—a wind-up toy in season one and a full-sized robot in season two. Uri Peeper (Runa Akiyama in Japanese, Helena van Koert in English) is Chris’s brother or cousin. Other characters include Chris’s archaeologist father Professor Frederick Peeper (Fumio Matsuoka in Japanese, Ray Owens in English), his mother Phoebe Peeper (Kumiko Takizawa in Japanese, Sonia Owens in English), Uncle Ken, and
- field
- Anime television series
- nationality
- Japanese
- known_for
- Christian anime adapting Bible stories
- produced_by
- Tatsunoko Productions and Christian Broadcasting Network
- original_network
- TV Tokyo
- episodes
- 52
Lore & Background
The 1981 edition of Superbook begins at the home of a young boy named Christopher 'Chris' Peeper, who discovers the ancient Bible named Superbook that can speak and send him, his friend Joy and his clockwork toy figure named Gizmo the Crusader Robot back in time during the events of the Old and New Testaments. The second season, Superbook II: In Search for Ruffles and Return to the 20th Century, takes place two years after the first season, where Superbook falls onto a computer, absorbing its contents and powers into the system, allowing anyone to see into the past from Christopher's home via the monitor. Ruffles, his poodle, gets lost in time, prompting Gizmo and Christopher's little brother (re-written as his cousin in the English dub), Uriah 'Uri' Peeper, to search for Ruffles, experiencing stories from the Old Testament solely until finding Ruffles in episode 25.
Reader's Guide
Superbook is significant as a Japanese Christian anime that introduced Bible stories to a wide audience through its 52-episode run, produced in collaboration between Tatsunoko Productions and the Christian Broadcasting Network. Its legacy includes international distribution under various titles such as Superlibro in Spanish and Superbuch in German, and it was released on VHS by Tyndale Entertainment and later on DVD in 2005–2006. As of July 2025, the 1981 edition is featured on the Yippee TV streaming service. The series also had a companion series, The Flying House, between its two seasons. Its blend of time-travel adventure and biblical narratives made it a distinctive entry in both anime and religious media.
Did You Know?
- The Japanese opening song for the first season is 'The TimeBook Song' by Ryō Miyauchi.
- The English opening song for the first season is 'Oh Superbook' by Stephan Peppos.
- The second season is titled Superbook II: In Search for Ruffles and Return to the 20th Century.
- The series was produced in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States.
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