Tea Tea Cherry (Korean:티티체리) is a South Korean animated series (aeni) created and produced by the toy company, Choi Rock Contents Factory of Mecard and Hello Carbot fame. It first premiered on December 30, 2021 on Korean Broadcasting System 2 (KBS2), with its 26th and last episode airing on July 7, 2022. It also airs on Cartoon Network in South Korea.
The show later had a 4-episode special simply called Tea Tea Cherry Special (티티체리 스페셜), that aired from December 8 to December 29, 2022, followed by a live-action children's musical hosted by Super Creative Lab and produced by ES Living Culture that lasted from January 7 to February 2023.
The show centers around Cherry and Berry, two middle schoolers who get sent an invitation message from Bae Ta-min, the manager of a dessert café called Tea Tea Café. The two find themselves in the café's secret underground base that acts as a basement where they learn about the Puzznimal Universe; an alternate dimension inhabited by animal-like creatures with human jobs. The evil witch, Ninos, imprisons Puzznimals, causing strange events to happen on Earth.
Cherry and Berry are given watches that allow them to transform, enter the Puzznimal Universe, and use their abilities. They are given codenames and archeologist-like attire to hide their identities. In order to save the Puzznimals, our heroes have to solve puzzles that were left behind after Ninos trapped them. Later on, Cherry and Berry meet another girl named Lemon, and two makes three (later five, with the introduction of Kiwi and Dragonfruit).
Tea Tea Cherry contains the following tropes:
- Cartoon Creature: Narchon is a pink, marshmallow-like creature with stubby legs, small wings, a hair fringe and animal ears.
- Edible Theme Naming: Almost every single main character of the show. Cherry, Berry, Lemon, Kiwi, Dragonfruit...even Chili!
- Evil, Inc.: USB. Universal Super Badman.
- Merchandise-Driven: Judging by the fact that it was made by a large South Korean toy company, merchandise was bound to be sold of it.
- Power Trio: Cherry, Berry and Lemon (later five after the introduction of Kiwi and Dragonfruit).
- Punny Name: Bae Ta-min sounds like "vitamin", which, sure enough, is the name of his transformation.
