"Monkey" was created by Wu Ch'êng-ên.
"Monkey" is based on the 16th century Chinese story "Hsi Yu Chi" [aka "Journey To The West"], a collection of stories about the real-life journey of Hsuan Tsangof, a 7th century monk.
The programmes' Japanese title was "Saiyûki".
The Monkey King was born out of a stone egg, fertilized on top of a mountain by the grace of Heaven.
Monkey learned all the magic tricks and kung-fu from a master Taoist.
Monkey is able to transform himself into seventy-two different forms (tree, bird, beast or even a mosquito) enabling him to sneak into an enemy's belly to fight them from the inside out!
Monkey is able to summon a pink fluffy cloud on which to be transported, by a quick wave of two fingers in front of his mouth.
Monkey's Magic Wishing Staff, which can grow to any size upon command, was given to him by the Princess of the Western Ocean.
Tripitaka comes from the city of Ch'ang-an.
Tripitaka is also known as: Boy Priest, Holy Fool, Master.
Pigsy used to be a General in Heaven, had a penchant for beautiful women and made a big mistake by getting a bit too friendly with the Moon Princess. The angry Gods punished him by throwing him down into the mortal world, re-incarnated as a big, fat, rude, smelly Pig Monk!
Pigsy is also known as: Pig Spirit, Stupid Swine, or Lord Hog.
Sandy is a mischievous water spirit called a Kappa.
Sandy comes from the River of Flowing Sands.
Sandy is also known as: Water Monster, or Fish Spirit.
Yu-Lung was a ferocious water dragon, who ate Tripitaka's horse when he was hungry. A suitably furious Monkey challenged him to a fight under the sea, which resulted in Yu-Lung's defeat, and he was banished to Falcon Grief Torrent by the Buddha. There he waited for Tripitaka, bound by faith to offer his services as a replacement horse.
Yu-Lung was also known as: Horse, Dragon, Jade Dragon, or White Dragon Horse.
NTV made the first series of "Monkey" as part of it's 25th birthday celebrations. The first series was made with a budget of ¥100 million, and was originally broadcast at a peak viewing time of 8:00pm on a Sunday.
Much of "Monkey" was filmed on location in inner Mongolia and Northwest China - Japan had only recently restored their diplomatic relations with China.
The English language "Monkey Magic" theme tune and lyrics were also used for the Japanese version. A Japanese language version of the song was never made.
Japanese parents encouraged their children to watch the show, as it was seen as an educational introduction to Buddhist thought and philosophy.
When the first series in Japan finished it's debut run in April 1979, the show was so popular that a two-hour highlights show was put together by NTV and broadcast the following week. A new series went into production was aired by the station later the same year.
"Monkey" was NTV's most successful export. It has been broadcast througout Asia, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and some parts of United States on terrestrial networks. It has also been run on numerous UK and overseas satellite and cable channels.
"Monkey" was shown undubbed in California.
Massaki Sakai (Monkey) was a former vocalist in a 60's Japanese mod band called "The Spiders".
Massaki Sakai (Monkey) has since worked on the infamous endurance gameshow "Superhuman Coliseum" (clips featured on "Tarrant on TV"). He then fronted a Japanese cookery programme called "Chuubou desuyo!" [aka "Where's the Kitchen?"].
Before starring in "Monkey", Masako Natsume (Tripitaka) was a well know & liked actress throught Japan, and was the face of Japanese cosmetics company "Kanebo". "Monkey" was her first starring role.
Masako Natsume (Tripitaka) went on to star in "203 kochi" (1980) [aka "The Battle of Port Arthur"], "Jidai-ya no nyobo" (1983) [aka "Time and Tide"], "Nankyoku monogatari" (1983) [aka "Antarctica"], and "Setouchi shonen yakyu dan" (1984) [aka "MacArthur's Children"].
Toshiyuki Nishida (Pigsy) is known in Japan as an actor and comedian. He has since starred in "Dun-Huang" (1988) [aka "The Silk Road"], "O-Roshiya-koku suimu-dan" (1992) [aka "The Dream of Russia"], "Tengoku no Taizai" (1992) [aka "Heavenly Sin"], and a series of movies called "Tsuribaka nisshi" (1988-2003) [aka "Free and Easy"].
Shirô Kishibe (Sandy) was a former vocalist in a 60's Japanese mod band called "The Spiders".
Unconfirmed reports say that Shirô Kishibe (Sandy) has since has left acting to pursue a career in table tennis. He has also starred in "Hachi-ko monogatari" (1987) [aka "Hachi-ko"], and "Mimi wo sumaseba" (1995) [aka "Whisper of the Heart"] - voice only.
Shunji Fujimura (Yu-Lung) has since starred in "Rajio no jikan" (1997) [aka "Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald"], "Hakuchi" (1999) [aka "Hakuchi: The Innocent"], and "Urutoraman Kosumosu: First Contact" (2001) [aka "Ultraman Cosmos: First Contact"].
