Pocoyo
| Pocoyo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Preschool education |
| Format | Animated television series |
| Created by | Guillermo García Carsí David Cantolla Luis Gallego |
| Written by | Guillermo García Carsí, Andy Yerkes Ken Scarborough (series 2) |
| Directed by | Guillermo García Carsí David Cantolla Alfonso Rodriguez |
| Narrated by | Jose María del Río (Spanish) Adal Ramones (LATAM-Latin America Spanish) Stephen Fry (English) Marco Balzarotti (Italian) |
| Theme music composer | Daniel Heredero |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Original language(s) | Spanish (Two versions; one for Spain, the other for Latin America) English Italian Portuguese |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 104 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Kathryn Hart for Zinkia Entertainment Anne Brogan for Granada Kids Jonathan Doyle for Cosgrove Hall Films |
| Producer(s) | Carolina Matas Pilar Cubría |
| Running time | 7 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Zinkia Entertainment Cosgrove-Hall Films |
| Distributor | ITV (season 1 only), Granada Kids and Granada International (UK) |
| Broadcast | |
| First shown in | 2003 |
| Original run | 2005 – 2010 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Production website | |
Pocoyo (Pocoyó in Spanish) is a Spanish pre-school animated television series created by Guillermo García Carsí, Luis Gallego and David Cantolla, and is a co-production between Spanish producer Zinkia Entertainment, Cosgrove-Hall Films and Granada International. Two series have been produced, each consisting of 52 seven-minute episodes. English actor and comedian Stephen Fry narrates the English language version, Marco Balzarotti narrates the Italian version, José María del Río narrates the Castilian Spanish version and Adal Ramones narrates the Latin American Spanish version.
Set in a 3D space, with a plain white background and usually no backdrops, it is about a young boy dressed in blue, who is full of curiosity. Viewers are encouraged to recognise situations that Pocoyo is in, and things that are going on with or around him. The narrator usually speaks explicitly to the viewers and to the characters as well. Each character has its own distinctive dance and also a specific sound (usually from a musical instrument), and most episodes end with the characters dancing. Many episodes also involve parties.
In the United Kingdom, it was originally broadcast on CITV, a children's strand on the ITV network. In September 2007, Channel 5 acquired terrestrial rights in the United Kingdom to the first and second series, making it part of the Milkshake! strand. The show, however, will continue to air on the CITV Channel.[1] Other broadcasters in the English speaking countries include RTÉ in the Republic of Ireland, Nick Jr. in the U.S. nationwide and local station KCET-TV in the New York City as well as KLCS-TV channel 58-2 in Los Angeles, Treehouse TV in Canada,[2] ABC in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand.
In Spain, TVE2 started broadcasting the second series in April 2008.[3] A future third series is on hold as the makers wish to embark upon other projects, one of which may be a Pocoyo movie.[4]
In June 2006, Pocoyo was awarded the Cristal Award for the "Best TV Production" at the 30th Annecy International Animated Film Festival.[5]
Contents |
Name [edit]
Pocoyo's name was provided by David Cantolla, one of the creators, after his three-year-old daughter used it in her nightly prayers saying "Eres niño poco yo" ("You're a child little me") instead of "Eres niño como yo ("You're a child like me"). "Pocoyó" could roughly be translated to English as "little me", "not much me" or "a little bit me", though it is a made-up construction.[6]
Development [edit]
The show is created with Softimage XSI software.[2]
Main characters [edit]
- Pocoyo is the eponymous main character of the series. He is a young boy full of curiosity who loves to play games and discover new things. He is very acrobatic and moves at a quick speed. He is always shown wearing blue clothes and a hat. He is three years old; his "birthday" is October 14.[7] His best friends are Pato, Elly, and Loula. He has a vehicle called the Vamoosh which he can use to travel under the water, in the air or through space. Although he is very friendly and sweet and almost always in a good mood, Pocoyo is also highly self-centered, distracted by the simplest things, easily frustrated, frequently jealous of his friends, and disobedient, but tries his hardest to fight his flaws and learn morals. He is voiced by Montana Smedley most of the time, but occasionally, by Alex Marty.
- The Narrator (del Rio, Fry or Ramones) speaks over the entire show, and often communicates directly with the characters. Pocoyo has a good relationship with him, and is always to delighted to see (hear) him. The narrator is also at times physically involved in the events of the episodes, making him more of an heard-but-not-seen character rather than a strict narrator.
- Pato is a yellow duck who wears nothing but a small green hat. He has a fondness for gardening, and is often seeing watering plants and flowerbeds. Pato means duck in Spanish, Portuguese, Filipino, Tok Pisin and Papiamento. He is a favourite amongst the young children due to his enjoyable dancing and the fact that his beak turns 360 degrees. Although friendly, Pato is the most fussy and impatient character (indicated by his beak that bends in an angle when disappointed or shocked); on occasion he completely loses his temper, jumping up and down and quacking furiously with his beak spinning rapidly. He is used as a jackhammer or missile and can become a helicopter.
- Elly is a pink elephant who always wears a blue back-pack. She loves making biscuits and tea, and she also has a doll that she loves very much, her birthday is May 4. Despite her size, she is graceful and gentle, capable of ballet dancing. She is, however, very bossy and generally does things her way. She usually rides around on her pink scooter.
- Loula is Pocoyo's orange-yellow pet puppy and companion. She is also strictly a dog as she walks on all four of her legs. She sometimes hops as she is walking. Originally, the character's name was Lucas, in tribute to creator and director Guillermo García Carsi's dog but due to a lack of female characters, the character was renamed Loula.
- Sleepy Bird is a teal-coloured bird. She does little but sleep, and usually flies with her eyes closed. She's named "Pajaroto" in the Spanish version (reportedly named after a Zinkia employee nicknamed "Maroto", and bearing a strong resemblance to him) She's also known as "Pajaro Dormilon" in the LATAM-Latin American Spanish version. She can be active from time to time, but more often is found asleep or snoozing to her content.
Secondary characters [edit]
- Aliens are sweet big and little green, pink, and blue tripedal beings that Pocoyo finds in space in search of his toy plane and other adventures. They communicate with one another using staccato 'clicking' noises.
- Baby Bird is the small, always active (he has not inherited his mother's fondness of sleeping) and loud baby of Sleepy Bird, who gets into tricky situations from which he is rescued by Pocoyo. He is best friends with Caterpillar. Named "Pajarito" in Spanish version ('little bird').
- Ball Orchestra is a group of three ball-like creatures who play the trumpet, drums and cymbals.
- Butterfly is a very hungry butterfly which Pocoyo occasionally catches.
- Caterpillar (named "Valentina" or "Oruga" in Spanish) is a yellow caterpillar with a blue bow on top of her head. She speaks in gibberish and has the ability to change into a butterfly and back when she wants. She is best friends with Baby Bird. When overjoyed or frustrated, she tends to slam her face forward into the ground.
- (Fred the) Octopus (AKA Pulpo in the Spanish version) is a lunatic red octopus (although shown with only 4 legs, as to make animation rendering simpler) who speaks in gibberish like Caterpillar, and is very fond of opera singing. He appears in random episodes, sometimes as a major character, sometimes in passing. As of Season Two, he is sometimes referred to as 'Fred'. His vocal style is reminiscent of Pee-wee Herman.
- Music Flower & The Band are musical characters who play music that Pocoyo likes.
- Whale is a huge white whale with red cheeks whom Pocoyo meets under the sea.
- Angry Aliens are a bunch of small evil aliens who have antennae. Although they are evil, they can be kind.
Episode list [edit]
To date three series have been produced, each with 52 episodes. There is also an unreleased episode entitled "The See-Saw",[8] along with 2 movies released in the Spanish market.
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Pilot Episode Counting Fish Series 1 (2005-2006) [edit]The following list for Series 1 is based on the episode guide given on Pocoyo's official YouTube Channel.
Series 2 (2006-2007) [edit]
Movies [edit]
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DVD releases [edit]
Region 2 (UK/England)
- Pocoyo: Series 1 (Episodes 1.01-1.13)
- Pocoyo: Series 1 - Explore and Discover (Episodes 1.14-1.26)
- Pocoyo: Vol. 3 - Fun and Adventures (Episodes 1.27-1.39)
- Pocoyo: Bumper Fun! - Volume 4 (Episodes 1.41-2.13)
- Pocoyo: Vol. 5 - Scooter Madness (Episodes 2.14-2.26)
Pocoyo Friendy Fun Episodes 1.41-1.13
Region 1 (US/Canada)
- Pocoyo: Meet Pocoyo (Episodes 1.03-1.05 and 1.07-1.10)
- Pocoyo: Pocoyo and Friends
- Pocoyo: Super Pocoyo
- Pocoyo: Fun & Dance
- Pocoyo: Let's Party [Episodes: 1. Who’s On the Phone, 2. A Present for Elly, 3. Whale’s Birthday, 4. Pocoyo’s Puppet Show, 5. Party Pooper, 6. Pocoyo’s Present, 7. Everyone’s Present, 8. The Great Race, 9. Elly’s Tea Party, 10. Pato Underwater, 11. Baby Bird Bother, 12. Farewell Friends]'
Region 4 (Australia/New Zealand)
- Pocoyo: Drum Roll Please (Episodes 1.01-1.09)
- Pocoyo: Swept Away (Episodes 1.10-1.18)
- Pocoyo: Mystery Footprints (Episodes 1.19-1.27)
- Pocoyo: A Surprise For Pocoyo (Episodes 1.28-1.36)
- Pocoyo: Bedtime (Episodes 1.37-1.45)
- Pocoyo: A Dog's Life (Episodes 1.46-1.52)
- Pocoyo: Messy Guest (Episodes 2.01-2.10)
- Pocoyo: Scooter Madness (Episodes 2.11-2.20)
- Pocoyo: Baby Bird (Episodes 2.21-2.31)
- Pocoyo: Sneaky Shoes (Episodes 2.32-2.41)
Airing [edit]
| Country/Region | Channel |
|---|---|
 Australia |
ABC 4 Kids |
 Canada |
Treehouse TV |
 Arab world |
Baraem |
 England |
Univision |
 Ireland |
RTE |
 New Zealand |
TVNZ |
 United Kingdom |
CITV Milkshake! Channel 5 Nick Jr. |
 United States |
Nick Jr. KCET-TV (Los Angeles) KLCS-TV (Los Angeles) KVCR-TV (Los Gatos) MTV |
 Brazil |
Discovery Kids (Brazil) |
 China |
Canal Panda |
 Colombia |
Señal Colombia |
 France |
Nickelodeon Junior M6 |
 Germany |
KiKa |
 India |
Disney Channel (India) |
 Israel |
Babyes TV |
 Italy |
Rai Due Rai YoYo |
 Japan |
TV Asahi |
 Mexico |
Canal 5 (Televisa Network) |
 Panama |
FETV |
 Poland |
TVP1 |
 Portugal |
RTP1 RTP2 Canal Panda |
| 25px Scandinavia | Playhouse Disney |
.svg){kind=small} Southeast Asia |
Disney Junior |
 South Korea |
QCTVI |
 Spain |
TVE 2 Clan TVE |
 Indonesia |
B Channel |
 Turkey |
minika Çocuk |
References [edit]
- ^ "Pocoyo makes terrestrial move to Five". Broadcast Now. 2007–09–11. Retrieved 2007–11–19.
- ^ a b Pocoyo show information on Treehouse TV
- ^ "Pocoyo estrena segunda temporada este viernes en La 2". RTVE. 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ "Pocoyo "The movie"". The Official Pocoyo Blog. 2007–09–17. Retrieved 2007–11–19.
- ^ Animaquid - Award Winners - Film index
- ^ "Why Pocoyo?". The Official Pocoyo Blog. 2006–07–26. Retrieved 2009–01–27.
- ^ "FAQ (1.0)". The Official Pocoyo Blog. 2006–10–10. Retrieved 2007–11–19.
- ^ "FAQ (1.0)". The Official Pocoyo Blog. 2006–10–10. Retrieved 2007–11–24.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Official Pocoyo blog
- Pocoyo at the Internet Movie Database
- Guillermo García Carsi
- Official Pocoyo Youtube channel
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