Ovide and the Gang

La Bande à Ovide, a.k.a. Ovide and the Gang, is a 1980s animated TV show produced by the French animation studio CinéGroupe (who also produced Mega Babies, Sharky and George and The Little Flying Bears) in association with Belgium's Odec Kid Cartoons.[1] It ran on Télévision de Radio Canada starting October 17, 1987[2] to 1988 and also goes by the names "Ovide Video" and "Ovide's Video Show"; the series gained popularity in the United Kingdom when it was broadcast on the Children's BBC service in 1988 and 1989 in a Friday afternoon slot before switching to Channel 4, while in the US, it was aired on Nick Jr. in 1992 and 1997.

Ovide and the Gang
L-R: Groaner, Saphron, Ovide and Polo
GenreCartoon series
Directed byRaymond Burlet
Jean Sarault
Voices ofFred Butter
Arie Cupe
Lucie de Lange
Ruud Drupsteen
Paul van Gorcum
Tom Hartmann
Ad Hoeymans
Just Meyer
Marianne Vloetgraven
Theme music composerCarlos Leresche
Country of originCanada
Belgium
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes65
Production
ProducersJacques Pettigrew
Jacques Vercruyssen
Violette Vercruyssen
Running time13 min.
Production companiesCinéGroupe
Odec Kid Cartoons
Release
Original releaseMarch 12, 1987 (1987-03-12) 
May 26, 1988 (1988-05-26)

The characters were created and designed by Bernard Godi in cooperation with Belgian comics artist and animator Nic Broca, who had previously designed the Snorks for SEPP. The show premiered in the United Kingdom on January 17, 1990.

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 – The main character of the show. A duck-billed platypus, he is the unofficial leader of the group, and is smart, responsible and kind hearted. Ovide is voiced by Thor Bishopric.
  • Saphron – Saphron is Ovide's cousin, and also a platypus. He is a good cook and gardener. Saphron is voiced by Terrence Scammell.
  • Polo – A red lizard who always carries around a broom. The island's janitor and the "tough guy" of the group, and he's always trying and failing to catch Woody, a destructive woodworm. Polo is voiced by Terrence Scammell.
  • Groaner – A white toucan, and one of Ovide's friends. His name comes from the fact that he's always telling weak jokes which make people groan. Groaner is voiced by Dean Hagopian.
  • Doe, Rae & Mi – Protagonist koalas, always on twigs or the couch. Their names come from the first three solfège syllables, and they visually represent the three wise monkeys: Doe wears headphones hearing music (Hear no Evil), Rae wears sunglasses (See no Evil), and Mi almost always covers his mouth, and sometimes hiccups (Speak no Evil).
  • 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. Matilda is voiced by...
  • Cy Sly – The primary antagonist of the show. He is a vain, scheming, megalomaniacal python. He is jealous of Ovide and wishes to overthrow him and gain control of the island. Cy is voiced by A.J. Henderson.
  • Bobo – Cy's bumbling, Keel-billed toucan minion and only friend. 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. Bobo is voiced by Terrence Scammell.
  • 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 (more often than not) 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 (and even Cy at times).
  • Super Cy - A superhero from Cy's imagination. He has a "C" on his body. His catchphrase is "Super Cy to the rescue!". He saves the world with Fantastic Bobo.
  • Fantastic Bobo - A superhero from Bobo's imagination and Super Cy's sidekick. His catchphrase is "Me and Cy will save you!". He saves the world with Super Cy.

Role of television in Ovide

Television 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's 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

No. Cartoons Original airdate
1"The Case of the Disappearing Hens"March 12, 1987 (1987-03-12)
2"Cy and the Solo Sailor"March 19, 1987 (1987-03-19)
3"The Ghostly Galleon"March 26, 1987 (1987-03-26)
4"The Prophet"TBA
5"The Creature of the Cave"TBA
6"The Treasure of the Endzones"TBA
7"The Island Games"TBA
8"Cy the Sorcerer"TBA
9"Spellbound"TBA
10"Great Slave Cake"TBA
11"Hunter!"TBA
12"Boom Boom Beefcake"TBA
13"A Jocular Genie Named Jack"TBA
14"Run for Your Lives!"TBA
15"Platypus Dam"TBA
16"Hi-Tech Treasure"TBA
17"Rex on the Rampage"TBA
18"The Australian Amazon"TBA
19"A Joke in Poor Taste"TBA
20"Cy, the Prince of Darkness"TBA
21"The Siren's Song"TBA
22"Just for Laughs"TBA
23"The Invincible Strength Potion"TBA
24"The Big Chill"TBA
25"The Island Rally"TBA
26"The Crimson Tide"TBA
27"Kimmy Chameleon"TBA
28"Ole"TBA
29"The Secret of the Crypt"TBA
30"Sudden Guests"TBA
31"All You Need Is Love"TBA
32"The Long-Life Battery Blues"TBA
33"When Friends Fall Out"TBA
34"The Great Chef"TBA
35"A Tail of a Crypt"TBA
36"If Only ..."TBA
37"Cy Lays an Egg"TBA
38"Backward to Victory"TBA
39"A Small Problem"TBA
40"Stuck, Stranded and Swamped"TBA
41"The Curse of Doctor Voodoo"TBA
42"Black Gold"TBA
43"Spirit, Are You There?"TBA
44"Winner Take All"TBA
45"The Nectar of Happines"TBA
46"A Peculiar Plague"TBA
47"Video Villain"TBA
48"His Own Worst Enemy"TBA
49"Vanishing Act"TBA
50"The Cold War"TBA
51"Shark!"TBA
52"Karate Chaos"TBA
53"Buried Treasure"TBA
54"The Chicken Charmer"TBA
55"Bringing Up Baby"TBA
56"Bouncing Bath-Tub"TBA
57"Sergeant Bobo"TBA
58"Friday the 13th"TBA
59"The Zone Phone Company"TBA
60"The Trying Time"TBA
61"The Virus"TBA
62"Second Childhood"TBA
63"The Great Wall"TBA
64"The Island of the Green Rock"TBA
65"Season 1 Episode 65"May 26, 1988 (1988-05-26)

A number of these episodes were released on VHS by Celebrity Home Entertainment for the "Just for Kids" series, hosted by Noel C. Bloom Jr. during the late 1980s and (assumingly) early 1990s.[3]

References

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