Ovide and the Gang
La Bande à Ovide, a.k.a. Ovide and the Gang, is a 1980s animated comedy TV series produced by Canadian animation studio CinéGroupe in association with Belgium's Odec Kid Cartoons.
It aired on Télévision de Radio Canada from on October 17, 1987 to January 7, 1989 and also goes by the names Ovide Video and Ovide's Video Show. The series gained popularity in the United Kingdom when the BBC broadcast the series as part of their Children's BBC programming strand from August 1987, and stayed with the BBC until Spring 1992, before switching to Channel 4.
The characters were created and designed by Bernard Godi in cooperation with Belgian comic artist and animator Nic Broca, who had previously designed the Snorks for SEPP.
Synopsis
The show stars a blue platypus named Ovide who lives on a non-descript South Seas island, where he has adventures with his friends and thwarts Cy and Bobo, the show's villains.
Main characters
Ovide – A blue platypus who is the main character of the series. The unofficial leader of the group; he is also smart, responsible and kind. Saphron – A yellow platypus who is Ovide's cousin. He is a good cook and gardener. Polo – A feisty red lizard who always carries around a broom. The island's janitor and the "tough guy" of the group, he is always trying and failing to catch Woody, a destructive woodworm. Groaner – A white toucan who is one of Ovide's friends. His name comes from the fact that he is always telling weak jokes which make people groan. Doe, Rae & Mi – A trio of koalas who are always shown sitting on branches or the couch. Their names come from the first three solfège syllables, and they visually represent the three wise monkeys: Doe wears headphones listening to music, Rae wears sunglasses, and Mi almost always covers his mouth, and sometimes hiccups.Matilda – A female kangaroo. Not originally from the island, she mistook the others for cannibals and hid from them, but then warmed up to them. She is skilled with herbal remedies and with the boomerang. She is first seen in episode 18.Cy Sly – A vain, scheming, megalomaniacal python who is the primary antagonist of the series. He is jealous of Ovide and wishes to overthrow him and gain control of the island.Bobo – Cy's bumbling, keel-billed toucan minion and only friend. He refers to Cy as "Boss". Despite his association with Cy, he has a good heart and wishes Ovide and his friends no ill-will. Bobo is also let off the hook a lot, unlike Cy who always suffers the consequences. Woody – A mischievous woodworm who tunnels around the island. He is known to alter the state of bowling games and gnaw holes into the base of Ovide's home. He is in constant conflict with Polo.Alvin – A blue three-toed sloth who lives in the forest of the island. His role in the cartoon is very minor and the only word he can pronounce is "Aye".Newscaster Lady – A pink-haired platypus whose name has not been revealed. She is the constantly-occurring face on television and the information she provides is beneficial to Ovide.
Role of television in ''Ovide''
plays an important role in this series. In every episode, Ovide and his friends are watching a programme. Ovide carries a brown briefcase which contains a portable TV set and there is a wandering TV on the island that approaches the characters at crucial moments and provides information important to the plot. Every time Cy sees the TV, he apparently becomes entranced by it.
Episodes
A number of these episodes were released on VHS by Celebrity Home Entertainment's "Just for Kids" sublabel, hosted by Noel C. Bloom Jr. during the late 1980s and early 1990s.