The widely known cartoon Oggy and Cockroaches

Oggy and the Cockroaches, known in French as Oggy et les Cafards, is a beloved animated series from France, created by Jean-Yves Raimbaud. It was originally produced by Gaumont Multimedia for seasons 1 and 2, in collaboration with Les Productions Coquerelles for the second season, and later by Xilam Animation for seasons 3 through 7. The show follows the hilarious escapades of Oggy, a light blue cat complete with a red nose and white gloves, whose peaceful life is constantly upended by three troublemaking cockroaches: Joey, Marky, and Dee Dee. What sets this series apart is its use of silent comedy; the characters hardly speak but instead express themselves through a mix of improvised sounds, gestures, and exaggerated facial expressions, all complemented by plenty of sardonic laughter. The storytelling is visually driven, often enhanced with images, written text, speech bubbles, or pictograms to set the scene or provide context.

The series first debuted in September 1998 on France 3 and quickly gained popularity, reaching audiences in over 150 countries worldwide. It wrapped up in January 2019, spanning seven seasons across more than 20 years. The cartoon is known for its slapstick humor, reminiscent of the classic Tom and Jerry, though Oggy and the Cockroaches takes things up a notch—while traditional slapstick often features falling anvils and pianos, this series isn't shy about using atomic bombs or submarines for comedic effect.

In September 2020, a reboot titled Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation was announced, introducing a new character, Piya, a young elephant from India that Oggy looks after. This fresher take on the series was made available globally on Netflix on July 28, 2022. While it presents distinct changes in both visuals and tone from the original, Gulli refers to it as Oggy's eighth season. Following this, in 2021, a spin-off called Oggy Oggy premiered, centered on the adventures of a kitten version of Oggy, minus the cockroaches.

Oggy and the Cockroaches

Genre: Slapstick comedy

Created by: Jean-Yves Raimbaud

Directed by: Olivier Jean-Marie

Voices of: Hugues Le Bars (seasons 1–4), Michel Elias ("Chatter Box")

Music by: Hervé Lavandier (seasons 1–2), Hugues Le Bars (seasons 1–4), Vincent Artaud (seasons 5–7)

Country of origin: France, Canada (season 2)

No. of seasons: 7

No. of episodes: 169

Production

Executive producers: Marc du Pontavice, Paul Cadieux (season 2)

Producers: Marc du Pontavice, Aziza Ghalila (seasons 1–2)

Editors: Florence Poli (season 1), Rodolphe Ploquin (seasons 1–2), David Sauve (season 2), Patrick Ducruet (seasons 3, 6–7), Fanny Bensussan (seasons 3–4), Lou Bouniol (season 4), Laure Charossuett (seasons 5–7)

Running time: 21 minutes (6–14 minutes per segment)

Production companies

Gaumont Multimedia: (seasons 1–2), Les Productions Coquerelles (season 2)

Xilam Animation: (seasons 3–7)

Original release

Network: France 3 (seasons 1–2), Canal+ Family (seasons 3–4), Gulli (seasons 5–7)

Release: 6 September 1998 – 30 January 2019

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