Creator: Osamu Tezuka
Tezuka Productions
This 1976 calendar features the Tezuka characters on a mysterious trip around the world as its theme. The month of July features the characters visiting the ruins of Atlantis and up on the top left corner is a strangely familiar looking character. While the Unico manga was released near the end of 1976 in Lyrica Magazine, it’s a little interesting to see this familiar character.
Tezuka went to America to visit the Sanrio’s animation studio on June 1976 and came up with the idea of Unico there. This calendar would have been sold during the end of 1975 or beginning of 1976, so it’s very curious. Did Tezuka have a unicorn character design in mind before Sanrio reached out or is this a strange coincidence? Hmm!
– Many thanks to Tezuka Archive for bringing this calendar to my attention.
| Year | Characters | |
|---|---|---|
| Cover |  | |
| July | Atom, Leo, Sapphire, Black Jack, Higeoyaji, and Sharaku at the “Ruins of Atlantis” (Atlantic Ocean) |  |