Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch is a shōjo/ magical girl manga and anime that was released in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Each mermaid princess represents a different ocean and is the protector of a unique colorful pearl that grants them the idol form. The three main characters are Lucia Nanami (Pink Pearl), Hanon Hōshō (Aqua Pearl) and Rina Tōin (Green Pearl). Even though the franchise is Japanese, the show was very popular with European countries such as Italy and Spain. Most of the dolls were actually released in Italy by Giochi Preziosi, only one was released for the Japanese market by Takara Tomy, two for the Korean by an unknown manufacturer and 3 for the Taiwanese by Chia Fa. Noel, Coco and Karen were supposed to be released but they unfortunately didn’t, while promotional material exist for them. The dolls were released in the 2000’s (mostly 2005). Because of the obscurity of the anime and the lack of critical acclaim the dolls have unfortunately become highly sought after grails for anime lovers.
