Elder Ham (長老ハム) is a narcoleptic elderly hamster, who is always falling asleep while talking. Despite this, he is a source of wisdom for the Ham-Hams.
Character description
Elder Ham is the oldest hamster, and it is a mystery as to how old he actually is. He is stout and has thick fur that resembles a beard; he also often carries a small wooden cane. While he is somewhat lazy, he is very wise, and will often tell the Ham-Hams stories from his youth. Despite his age, he's always willing to help out his friends and is kind to all hamsters big and small. He can sometimes even be heroic; such as in Hamuchanzu de Gozaimachu! Vol.2, when he (alongside Auntie Viv) helped rescue Pashmina after she fell into a pond.
He has multiple houses and burrows he made within his long lifetime. The house he most often stays in is a burrow under a big rock, which is very cluttered and filled with lots of mementos and trinkets.
Elder Ham also takes up the role of playing Santa Claus for all the hamsters in the neighborhood. Later on, this role seems to have to have been replaced by Santa Ham, who looks suspiciously similar to Elder Ham.
Relationships
Auntie Viv
Elder Ham has an off-and-on relationship with his longtime sweetheart Auntie Viv. The two used to be a serious couple, and would travel the world and go on adventures together. Elder Ham even made her an acorn necklace that said "Viv and Me" on it, but was too shy to give it to her. He planned on proposing to her, but an unknown conflict arose between the two of them and their romance never progressed farther. However, the two are still very close friends, and still have romantic feelings for one another.
Haibi's Granny and Friends
Young Elder Ham and his friends
Alongside Auntie Viv, Elder Ham has three other lifelong friends. These include Haibi's grandmother, a white-furred hamster, and a brown-furred hamster. In their youth, they went on great adventures with each other; much like Hamtaro and friends' ventures in the present day. The group meets up with each other in Ham-Hams Ahoy!, in which they attempt to retrieve the treasure chest.
Notable Episodes
- The Wise, Elder Ham (#11)
- Let's Dance, Sandy! (#13)
- Hamtaro, Please Come Home! (#24)
- The Legend of the Courageous Hamtaro! (#26)
- Valentine's Day! (#32)
- Treasure Hunting (#61)
- A Wonderful Santa Claus! (#77)
- Auntie Viv and Elder Ham (#92)
- There's Really a Wolf! (#122)
- Mother Viv (#148)
- A Big Change for Robo-Joe! (#150)
- Ham-Ham Halloween! (#173)
- Ham-Ham Explorers (#174)
- Bo and the Mammoth (#181)
- Pashmina's Transformation! (#188)
- The Changing Mirror (#216)
- Elder-Ham and the Cherry Blossoms (#247)
- Go Go, Ham-Hams! (#258)
- Start, Ham-Hams! (#259)
- The Sports Competition! (#272)
- Happy Dream, Ham-Ham Train! (#284)
- Be Cautious, Nin-Ham! (#292)
- Ham-Hams Ahoy! (OVA)
Etymology
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Trivia
- Elder Ham's eyes, despite them being closed all the time, are actually gray; as seen when he opens his eyes fully in a scene in Ham-Ham Games. This may have been an animation error.
- Elder Ham also opens his eyes in an earlier episode, The Ham-Ham Explorers and the Romance Story!. Here he is shown to have a different eye shape than the other hamsters; they are ovular and much thinner.
- While Elder-Ham's canon age or his birthday is unknown, Haibi's grandmother reveals in Ham-Hams Ahoy! that she and her friends were all still around "86 Ham-Ham years later". This indicates that Elder Ham is 86 years old, though the labeling of "Ham-Ham years" may imply that this is in "hamster years" when compared to human age.
- In some Japanese media (namely Gozaimachu! Vol.2), Elder Ham is simply named "Hamu-ji" (ハムじい), effectively meaning "Ham-grandfather".
- Takkō Ishimori, the original voice actor for Elder Ham, passed away on June 5th, 2013.
- The Portuguese voice actor of Elder Ham, Miguel Rosenberg, also passed away on May 6th, 2016.
Gallery
- Main article: Elder Ham/Gallery