Bannertail: The Story of Gray Squirrel (anime)

Bannertail: The Story of Gray Squirrel (シートン動物記 りすのバナー) is an anime series made by Nippon Animation in 1979. It is based on the 1922 book Bannertail: The Story of Gray Squirrel by Ernest Thompson Seton. It ran for a total of 26 episodes and told the story of Puschel, a young orphaned squirrel raised by a kindly mother cat, and his adventures in the forest. It is best known by its German version, entitled Puschel das Eichhorn.

Characters

 * Puschel (Tsukase Noriko) is the protagonist of the series, a young squirrel who wears a bell around his neck. Orphaned as a baby, he was taken in and raised by a cat. A fire in the first episode separates him from his adopted mother and he flees to the forest where he befriends the wild squirrels and learns to survive. His feline upbringing means he is braver and tougher than other squirrels. Rather than flee from predators he will often attack them head on, especially to save his friends.
 * Sue (Yokozawa Keiko) is a young female squirrel with a flower in her hair. She is attracted to Puschel due to his innocence and more than any of the others she is helpful in teaching him how to survive in the wild. The two eventually marry and have children in the series' final episode.
 * Graubart (Ikeda Kazuomi) is Sue's grandfather and the oldest and wisest of the squirrels. He presides over festivals and ceremonies and makes all of the important decisions. He is very calm and thoughtful.
 * Clay (Sugaya Masako) is a squirrel much younger than Puschel. He is the first of the wild squirrels Puschel meets, when Puschel saves him from a fox. He and Puschel very quickly become best friends.
 * Lilly (Maruyama Hiroko) is Clay's overprotective mother. She is constantly fearful for her child's safety, and like the others is initially distrustful of Puschel until he saves both her and Clay from a farmer.
 * Felix and Rotbauch (Chiba Shigeru and Kimotsuki Kaneta) are the two comic relief friends of Puschel. They are initially antagonistic and distrustful of Puschel (Felix moreso than Rotbauch) but eventually become close friends with him after Puschel rescues Felix from a snapping turtle.
 * Spitzohr (Aono Takeshi) is a squirrel with long pointed ears who pines for Sue and develops a rivalry with Puschel for her hand in marriage. He is very cunning, underhanded and devious, not to mention arrogant.
 * Uncle Uhu (Nagai Ichirou) is an owl who is the first denizen of the forest who Puschel encounters. Initially he intends to eat him, but Puschel, thinking himself a cat, fights back rather than flee, earning Uhu's respect and eventually his friendship. When some hunters enter the forest, Uhu is killed by a bullet intended for Puschel.
 * Mother Cat (Tani Ikuko) is Puschel's adopted mother. She raised him as her own after he was found alone as a baby by the farmer's son. She is the one who gave Puschel the bell he wears at all times. She and Puschel were separated in a fire in the first episode, but are eventually reunited.
 * Other, minor characters include Stummel the chipmunk and a pair of mice named Non and Nen.