Japanese pop duo Puffy AmiYumi [ tickets ] will embark on a brief US tour in July following the release of their latest album, "Splurge."

The pair--singers Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura--are pop superstars in Japan, but are probably best known in this country as the stars of their own animated cartoon series, "Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi," which airs on the Cartoon Network.

The duo, assisted by a full backing band, will kick off their eight-city East Coast tour July 8 in Philadelphia.

"Splurge," the duo's eighth studio album since debuting in 1996 with "Amiyumi," features guest contributions from a number of well-known names, including Jon Spencer (of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), The Offspring frontman Dexter Holland, and producer Butch Walker (Avril Lavigne, Pink).

Onuki and Yoshimura is something of a cultural phenomenon in their own country, where they have spawned a series of successful TV programs, and market their own line of products ranging from action figures to shoes. The pair is known simply as Puffy in Japan, but was forced to add the AmiYumi moniker to the group's name in the US to avoid legal difficulties with Sean Combs.