in 1999, and again in 2009 on AT-X. Though it has never been released on DVD, it is available on various paid video distribution services in Japan. The series was inspired by the mascot introduced for the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. Character designer Isamu Kumada based the design for Misha on Chizhikov's illustrations. The opening and ending animations were unfinished at the time of the first episode's broadcast, and the onscreen lyrics for the songs were also omitted. From episode 2 onwards, the main staff and theme song credits were marked in blue, and finished versions were used, which also displayed the lyrics. At the end of the opening, the 1980 Olympics emblem logo was added with text indicating that the characters were being used with the consent of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games in Moscow. See also Olympic mascot Russian Bear Brown bear Teddy bear References External links Anime series outline by Nippon Animation Moscow Olympics' site, includes the Misha farewell song До свиданья, Москва'' Translation of the Misha song to English at the China Daily website Olympics Logos and Mascots: Official image of Misha 1979 anime television series debuts 1980 Summer Olympics Bear mascots Fictional bears Olympic mascots Soviet culture Russian mascots