The Cartoon Network has released some information about the shows it is ordering for next season.  The only new anime series announced so far is Hamtaro Tales, a youth-oriented series about a happy hamster (Hamtaro), his owner (Hiroko/Laura), a fifth grader, and his hamster friends, who escape their normal domiciles to hang out in the roots of an old tree in the park.  The Cartoon Network has ordered a heaping helping of 54 of the104 episodes (so far) of this series, directed by Kazuo Nogami from the original manga stories by Ritsuko Kawai, which are published in Japan by Shogakukan.

Hamtaro Tales, which first appeared on TV Tokyo in 2000, is the number one kids show in Japan and will presumably become part of the children's programming on Cartoon Network.  Although not much in the way of Hamtaro merchandise is available in the U.S. now, the property generated a hefty $2.5 billion in retail sales in Asia during 2001.

The Cartoon Network also ordered 54 additional episodes of Dragon Ball Z.  One of the best features of the perennially popular DBZ saga is the fact that there are a whopping 291 episodes -- this is a 'phenom' with real staying power, especially considering the 153 episodes of the original Dragon Ball series and 64 episodes of Dragon Ball GT.  Though the Cartoon Network has not yet shown any episodes of Dragon Ball GT, it is ordering an additional 38 episodes of the utterly charming original Dragon Ball series.  The fact that DBZ continues to be the number one show on the Cartoon Network (see 'DBZ Rules') means that pop culture retailers can expect this franchise to continue for years.