Oggy and the Cockroaches arrived on France 3 in September 1999, and it has spent well over two decades pestering viewers with the same joke: a rotund, blue cat named Oggy, who would prefer to watch television and eat, is continually harassed by three cockroaches. Joey, Marky, and Dee Dee want absolute control of Oggy’s house, and they will plunder his refrigerator, hijack the train he just boarded, or set off an atomic bomb to get it.
Eight seasons and 579 episodes make up this series, which first appeared on September 6, 1999, and concluded in January 2019, after seven seasons and 169 half-hour episodes. The show was created by Jean-Yves Raimbaud, and its final episode aired on May 10, 2022. It was licensed to more than 190 territories around the world.
Trailer, via Cantimule.
Joey, Marky, and Dee Dee
Absolute control of Oggy’s house is the goal the three cockroaches are chasing, and they will tolerate no bounds in pursuit of it. The series relies on silent comedy, with characters who do not speak and instead use unintelligible gibberish vocalizations, gestures, facial expressions, sound effects, and sardonic laughter to convey meaning. Complex sequences are explained with images, sometimes rendered as written text, speech balloons, or pictograms.
The cockroaches’ mischief ranges from plundering Oggy’s refrigerator to hijacking the train he just boarded. In many situations Oggy is also helped by Jack, his cousin, who is more violent and short-tempered than him and is also annoyed by the cockroaches. Bob, a short-tempered bulldog, also appears in the show, and is Oggy’s neighbor.
“The cartoon relies on slapstick humour, much like its inspiration Tom and Jerry.”
Silent Comedy Without Dialogue
Rather than going the traditional route of dropping heavy objects like anvils or pianos on each other, which is the preferred mode for the standard slapstick cartoon character, Oggy and the Cockroaches occasionally opts for far more extreme means, such as atomic bombs or submarines. The show’s approach to silent comedy mirrors its inspiration in Tom and Jerry.
There is no spoken dialogue among the characters. Instead, they express themselves through nonsense speech, bodily motions, facial expressions, sound effects, and sardonic laughter. This is a deliberate choice, not an accident. The show is constructed to be understood without spoken words, which makes it available to children around the world, and to adults who do not speak French or English.
The show’s silent comedy is built from the ground up. Characters communicate through physical comedy, like the way they react when Oggy’s trap fails or when they get caught in their own schemes, and the show explains complex sequences through images, sometimes rendered as written text, speech balloons, or pictograms.
The exception to the rule in India is that the series is aired on some television channels with voice-acted dialogue in Hindi and other languages.
Jack, Bob, and Olivia
Jack, Oggy’s cousin, is more violent and short-tempered than Oggy. He is also annoyed by the cockroaches, and he often helps Oggy in the show. Bob, Oggy’s short-tempered bulldog neighbor, is another recurring character.
Olivia, a female cat, is part of the show as Oggy’s romantic interest, and while she does not appear in every episode, she still gives the series a love angle that the cockroaches often try to ruin.
The Fifth Season and the Movie
The fifth season borrows concepts from Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie, which follows the escapades of Oggy, cockroaches, Jack, Bob and Olivia. Every episode centers on a distinct location or period in history, or on a tale that carries historical weight.
- Episode 1 covers Ancient Egypt
- Episode 5 covers the Middle Ages
- Episode 23 focuses on the Greek epic poem Odyssey by Homer
- Episode 26 focuses on the legend of King Arthur
The fifth season of this show abandons the standard series of episodes and instead sends its characters through the history of the world, which makes for a novel use of the format.
Kaycie Chase on the Voice Cast
A recurring romantic figure named Piya appears across the show, voiced by Kaycie Chase, who is not the main character. The show does not give her much to do, yet her appearances are welcome.
The show was produced by Gaumont Multimedia for season 1 and Xilam Animation for seasons 2–8, in co-production with Les Productions Coquerelles for season 2.
A Simple Premise, Long Run
When the show throws cockroaches at a cat, it reaches its peak fun. The premise is simple and consistent. The cockroaches are always present, the fridge is always raided, and Oggy is always being tormented.
The show first aired in September 1999 on France 3, and it was licensed for more than 190 countries across the globe. It concluded in January 2019, after seven seasons and 169 half-hour episodes (501 seven-to-fourteen-minute parts) spread across over two decades. The series was created by Jean-Yves Raimbaud, and it has been a mainstay of children’s television for a generation.
Oggy and the Cockroaches understands precisely what it is. It is a comedy of physical chaos, and it carries that premise out with consistency. It is a show that rewards attention and punishes distraction. You will miss the joke if you are not paying attention. You will enjoy it if you are.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
