KOCHI: Think about an anthropomorphic cat who moves on his two legs living in his own house, infested with three mischievous household roaches Joey, Dee Dee and Marky who bothers him to no avail. Does this sound ridiculous? Not for Jean Marie Olivier, the creator of the now popular and classic cartoon series ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’.
When Olivier, who has also come up with other animated cartoon series and movies, came up with ‘Oggy’, little did he know that in a few years, the series is going to be extremely popular. The series have become so loved that it has also inspired a full-length animated feature film.
“It’s now been 17 years since I first created them. Now, the series has run for five seasons, with a total of around 400 episodes. I feel good that it has become so successful!!, “ says the 56-year-old cartoon strip and director of the same, beaming with pride. For him, the success story of Oggy has not just been a pleasant surprise for him, but overwhelming as well. A cat and a bunch of cockroaches seem like a rather amusing idea, isn’t it? Olivier has his own reasons for coming up with the quirky concept. He adds, chuckling, “I started thinking about what a modern conflict and chase could be like. We all know that cats chase mouses and dogs chase cats, but why not add something new and different? Talking about cockroaches, nobody wants them around the house, right?’ so the cockroaches chase the cat!!”Oggy and the Cockroaches’ is not just known as a cartoon series which has enjoyed immense popularity. It is also marked for being a comic piece which relies on slapstick humour sans any dialogues. That could probably be the reason that many feel the urge to compare ‘Oggy...’ to one of it’s very successful predecessors ‘Tom and Jerry’ which again relied on Slapstick comedy without dialogues. About choosing not to include any dialogues, Olivier elaborates, “I am passionate about animation, and believe that a true one does not require any dialogue. It is all about expressions and emotions. The obsession with dialogues is unnecessary.”
Talking about whether the success story is comparable to that of ‘Tom and Jerry’, the creator of ‘Oggy’ says, “No, there is scope for no comparison. The original ‘Tom and Jerry’ series which came out over 50 years ago were the ones which enjoyed popularity, and that era is gone. ‘Oggy’ is something else.”
On why ‘Oggy’? “Oggy himself is like a kid. He is a colourful and friendly character. Kids can relate to Oggy as a friend and feel bad when he goes through trouble. Not just kids, but even parents enjoy Oggy and love to see their kids laughing while watching the character .