| The Tofus | |
|---|---|
From left to right: Mom, Lola and Chichi, with Curly the Sheep in the background. |
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| Genre | Animation Children's television Comedy |
| Voices of | Aaron Grunfeld Brigid Tierney Maria Bircher Marcel Jeannin Sonja Ball Harry Standjofski Pauline Little Daniel Brochu Kayla Grunfeld Michael Yarmush Jesse Vinet |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Language(s) | English, French, Turkish |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Olivier Dumont Jacques Pettigrew Jacqueline Tordjman Michel Lemire |
| Producer(s) | Danielle Marleau Bruno Bianchi |
| Running time | 22 minutes (not including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Teletoon |
| Original run | September 1, 2004 – January 1, 2007 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Tofus (French: Les Tofou) is an animated French and Canadian sitcom created by Fabrice de Costil and Bertrand Victor for Teletoon as one of its original productions. It is a satirical parody of the environmentalist lifestyle epitomized by its title family, which consists of Mom, Pop, Chichi, Lola, and Buba. The show is set in the fictional town of Beauvillage, and lampoons many aspects of the environmental movement, including environmental organizations, animal rights, and pacifism.
Since its debut on September 1, 2004, the program has aired twenty-six episodes over two seasons.
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The Tofus was co-produced by SIP Animation and CinéGroupe.[1][2] It was directed by Bruno Bianchi with the assistance of Danielle Marleau and several other executive producers out of Maple Pictures Corp.,[3] and scripted by twenty-six writers, including series creators Fabrice de Costil and Bertrand Victor. Original music was composed by Alain Garcia and Noam Kaniel.[4]
Each episode of The Tofus was budgeted at US$230,000,[5] and each thirty-minute time block was divided into two fifteen minute-long episodes. Production of the show began one year before it was incorporated into Teletoon's schedule, first airing in Canada on September 1, 2004.[3] In addition to Teletoon Canada, SIP Animation also presold the series to the France 3, CITV, and Fox Kids Europe networks.[5]
The first episode of France 3's French-language version of The Tofus premiered on January 3, 2005.[4] As Fox Kids was sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2002, the program was broadcast under the new brand Jetix when it arrived in other European countries in 2006.
There were five main cast members who voiced The Tofus. Aaron Grunfeld performed the voice of Chichi, while Brigid Tierney performed the voice of Lola. Maria Bircher played Mum, Marcel Jeannin voiced Pop, and Sonja Ball took the role of Buba. Additional voices were provided by Daniel Brochu, Harry Standjofski, Pauline Little, Kayla Grunfeld, Michael Yarmush, and Jesse Vinet. Script direction was overseen by Florence Sandis.
Environmental activists Mom and Pop Tofu, concerned that their family is suffocating from urban routine, decide to move to a farmhouse in the town of Beauvillage and embrace a more natural way of life, much to the horror of their pre-teen children, Chichi and Lola. They would rather watch TV and go shopping than amuse themselves with Grandma Buba's animals: Cracker the Rooster, Curly the Sheep, and Suzie the Goat. The siblings must cope with their parents' ecology-friendly world vision and the humiliation that results from their efforts to encourage others to protect the environment.
The neighborhood that the family settles in is filled with electronically able individuals, contrasting the Tofus' all-organic lifestyle. Unlike her mechanical-genius brother Chichi–who believes in peace within the family–Lola is more cynical and averse to being deemed oddballs in their new home. She occupies herself with her attraction to Billy Hubbub, the boy next door, despite his parents objections.
Chichi Meek but a genius. Has a crush on a local teen named Candy. Good friends with Candy and Phil.
Lola Loyal to her brother, best friends with Lily. Has a crush on her neighbor, Billy Hubbub.
Mom
Pop
Buba
April
William "Billy" Hubbub
Tidus Hubbub
Elizabeth "Beth" Hubbub
Phillip "Phil"
Lillian "Lily"
Cherie
Nicolas "Nick"
Susan "Suzie", Cottontail "Kerli", Cracker
The Tofus was generally well received by viewers. It has been called "a modern gloss on the classic family sitcom [that] aptly skewers the granola-munching righteousness of the eco-hippie archetype,"[5] and has been commended for its use of ecology as a unique background theme.[1] The Tofus also received top audience ratings among the France 3 Youth Programs in 2005.[1]
The Tofus ran for 26 episodes, divided into 2 seasons, with the series ending on January 1, 2007. The first episode aired on September 1, 2004.
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