How has much of the world learned about Wisconsin? Author John Foust proposes an unexpected path. His new book “Starring Rascal: The Story of Sterling North” tracks how a young boy’s adoption of a baby racoon in Edgerton more than a century ago has shaped how people around the globe, especially children, came to learn about the Badger State.
North would grow up to be a prominent author and book reviewer. “Rascal,” the mostly true account of his relationship with the eponymous furry creature would be his most famous and popular work when it was published in 1963.
Rascal lived up to his name by being a charmer who got himself in all sorts of trouble. Ultimately, his true wild nature and survival instincts would make him too much to handle and North had to say goodbye, releasing him back into the Wisconsin woods.
The book sold well and was translated into many languages. But Rascal’s real global impact would come more than a decade later when a Japanese anime company released “Araiguma Rascal” (or “Rascal the Raccoon”), an animated version of the story that played out in 52 weekly episodes.
After it premiered in 1977 to widespread popularity, the anime was shown in reruns for years after and was translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Tagalog, Afrikaans, Ukrainian, Mandarin and Korean for audiences around the world. But never in English, making Rascal a Wisconsin icon little known in his home state.
Rascal’s popularity in Japan continues to this day where his cute visage adorns hundreds of products. But that popularity has come with an unexpected consequence. Rascal-mania led to the importation of raccoons to the island nation where they continue to pose an ecological threat.
Alas, the lesson of “Rascal” went unheeded. But its story and lovable character endure to this day.
