Bijou (リボンちゃん) is a female hamster with white fur and blue ribbons. She is an elegant and somewhat unworldly hamster; but she is not above getting dirty when she needs to help her friends, always acting very generous and helpful.
Character description
Bijou is owned by Maria; the two of them moved to Hamtaro's neighborhood from France. She is tidy and graceful, but that doesn't stop her from helping out the Ham-Hams when needed. She prizes her blue ribbons - which she always wears, holding her pigtails in place.
Throughout the entire series, Bijou has a massive crush on Hamtaro. Meanwhile, Boss has a huge crush on Bijou; but she is not aware of this, and seems to view him more as a big brother figure. Bijou is close friends with the other girl Ham-Hams (Pashmina, Penelope, Sandy, etc.) - and they know about Bijou's crush on Hamtaro.
In some earlier media (such as Hamuchanzu de Gozaimachu! Vol.1), Bijou was shown to have an interest in knitting. She would knit fluffy sweaters for Hamtaro and friends; though they would often take more interest in the balls of yarn she was using to knit. This was not established in the anime series, and the "knitting girl" role would later be given to Barrette.
In the Japanese version, Bijou speaks normal Japanese and adds the words "dechuwa" (most likely a hamster version of "desu wa") at the end of her sentences. In the English version, Bijou has a strong French accent, and speaks with a sort of "squeaky" voice. Oshare also adds "dechuwa" at the end her sentences, perhaps because they both hail from France.
Friendships
Sparkle
Bijou, like the other Ham-Hams, sees Sparkle as a good friend and is happy whenever she visits. Bijou knows about Sparkle's crush on Hamtaro and is, of course, a little jealous about it. The two become rivals in A Valentine Battle!, but make up and remain friends in the end.
Oshare is a friend of Bijou from France. Not much is known about their friendship or how they met. Oshare does, however, seem to treat Bijou similarly to most other hamsters.
Pashmina, Penelope and Sandy
Bijou's best friends. It isn't obvious where the friendship sprouted from, but the four girls are always seen together and seem to have a very strong friendship.
Lapis
Upon first meeting her, Bijou and the other Ham-Hams took an immediate liking to Lapis. However, after Lapis gave Hamtaro a kiss (at the end of A Mysterious Seed Experiment!), Bijou instantly became very upset, due to her long-lasting crush on Hamtaro. Bijou was so distressed that her entire personality changed; she viewed Lapis as her rival, and tried to keep her and Hamtaro away from each other. Bijou's breakdown lasts until the end of Bijou's Love Rival!, when Lapis thanks Bijou for "finding" Lazuli; and to the Ham-Hams' shock, Lapis gives Bijou a "thank you" kiss. After realizing Lapis and Hamtaro's kiss was not inherently romantic, Bijou gets over it, and becomes close friends with Lapis.
Relationships
Hamtaro
Bijou has a crush on Hamtaro, but he is completely clueless about it. In the first episode, Bijou winks at Hamtaro after he sings and dances for her with Oxnard and Boss. Her crush on him becomes stronger in Come Out, Bijou! after Hamtaro compliments her ribbons. The crush becomes more obvious after Bijou's Favorite Ribbon, an episode centered around Bijou’s feelings for him.
There are a few more notable cases of Bijou’s crush in the anime series. In I Want To See You, Bijou!, Hamtaro and Bijou go on a "date"; though Hamtaro, misunderstanding the concept, invites all the other Ham-Hams. In Satisfied Bijou, they go on another date, and Hamtaro keeps it a secret from the others this time; but due to Bijou's struggles, the Ham-Hams find out and show up anyway. Before the others arrive, however, Hamtaro and Bijou had a brief romantic walk together. In A Valentine Battle!, Bijou competes with Sparkle and Oshare for Hamtaro's love.
Despite their close bond and all of their romantic endeavors, Hamtaro still retains a childish outlook on love. Although he cares about Bijou and considers her a very close friend, he doesn't notice her crush on him, and his feelings for her remain purely platonic.
Outside of the anime, they have a stronger relationship. In Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak, they are said to be an actual couple, but Hamtaro seems to be confused when it is mentioned by others. There is also a LINE sticker of Hamtaro and Bijou kissing (with the Japanese onomatopoeia "chu").[1]
Boss
Boss has a huge crush on Bijou; however, she is unaware of this. She attributes the attention he pays her to simple generosity. She does care about Boss and values his friendship, but he is more like a brother to her. Boss sparks many attempts to win her over, even if some mean risking seasickness. Boss’s crush on Bijou diminishes as the series goes on.
Notable Episodes
- Come Out, Bijou! (#4)
- Bijou's in Danger! (#12)
- Bijou's Favorite Ribbon (#15)
- Let's Cross the Rainbow! (#33)
- Farewell Bijou! (#36)
- The Fresh Summer Breeze! (#58)
- The Animal Hospital (#71)
- A Wonderful Santa Claus! (#77)
- Maria's Birthday Party (#87)
- The Tale of Princess Bijou (#104)
- Bijou's Memorable Picture Book (#132)
- I Want To See You, Bijou! (#168)
- Bijou's Love Rival! (#197)
- Cupid Sparkle! (#208)
- The Changing Mirror (#216)
- Satisfied Bijou (#269)
- A Valentine Battle! (#289)
- A Date With Sparkle (Tottoko Hamutaro Hai!; #59)
Names in other languages
Japanese | リボンちゃん Ribon-chan |
Lit. Ribbon-chan |
English | Bijou | |
Spanish | Lacitos | Derived from "Bows" |
Korean | 리본 Libon |
Lit. Ribbon |
Chinese | 麗麗 Lì Lì |
Derived from "Lili" |
Arabic | بيجو Byju |
|
Hebrew | קוקי | Derived from "Cookie" |
Indonesian | Tenda | Derived from "Tent" |
Languages that retain the English "Bijou" name include French, German, Italian, and Polish.
Trivia
- The name "Bijou," is French for "small, exquisitely wrought trinket" as well as 'jewel' in French. It is used as the word "small" in English.
- In the French dub of the anime, Bijou comes from Russia instead of France.
- In Tottoko Hamutaro: Hamuchanzu de Gozaimachu! Vol.1, Bijou is Penelope's older sister. It is stated that Penelope is Pashmina's sister in later media.
- In a craft book titled “Tottoko Hamutaro: Beads Mascots and Glitter Accessories”, a page showing a romantic Bijou craft outright states that she is Hamtaro’s girlfriend. This may have been somewhat of an error, as it is a rather uncommon way of writing “girlfriend” in Japanese (effectively transcribing the English word into Japanese, rather than the native one).
Gallery
- Main article: Bijou/Gallery