Puffy AmiYumi

• Genre: Japan
• Hometown: Tokyo

About

A combination of luck and perseverence brought Tokyo-born Ami Onuki and Osaka native Yumi Yoshimura together in 1995. Sony chose the two for a new pre-fab duo after auditions, and the combination was more successful than the label could have imagined. After their first J-pop hit, 1995's "Asia No Junshin," the two could do no wrong. They quickly became a cultural force, influencing fashion, inspiring action dolls, dominating radio and hosting their own television variety show. They launched a show on the Cartoon Network in late 2004.

- Sarah Bardeen