Oddbods

Oddbods (also known as The Oddbods Show)[lower-alpha 1] is a Singaporean computer-animated comedy television series produced by One Animation,[1][2][3] a subsidiary of Candle Media company Moonbug Entertainment since 2022.[4] The series centers on seven bean-shaped creatures—Bubbles, Pogo, Newt, Jeff, Slick, Fuse and Zee—wearing furry suits of different colors.[2] The characters make sounds but there is no dialogue, making the series easily translatable and international.

Oddbods
Also known asThe Oddbods Show
GenreComedy
Satire
Created byRichard Thomas
Directed bySimon Pike
Aidan McAteer
Christian Cheshire
Richard Thomas
Ehud Landsberg
Jose Guzman
Gilad Bahr
Ruth Ducker
Samantha Suyi Lee
Creative directorRichard Thomas
Voices ofMarlon Dance-Hooi
Chio Su Ping
Jeremy Linn
Nadia Ramlee
Theme music composerKristin Øhrn Dyrud
Opening theme"Oddbods Theme"
ComposerKristin Øhrn Dyrud
Country of originSingapore
Original languageNone
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes180 + 6 special (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersSashim Parmanand
Michele Schofield
ProducersJohn Mckenna
Carlene Tan
Steven Read
Running time
  • 7 minutes
  • 22 minutes (specials)
Production companiesOne Animation (Moonbug Entertainment)
Hot Drop Films
Release
Original networkDisney Channel (Asia)
Disney XD (United States)
CITV and Boomerang (United Kingdom)
Netflix (season 3)
YouTube (specials)
Original release21 January 2013 (2013-01-21) –
present

The series debuted in 2013, and the first season ended in 2015.[5] Each season has 60 episodes. Season two followed in 2016. Season three released in April 4, 2022 on Netflix. Each episode is relatively short, and various formats have been broadcast, including one-, five-, and seven-minute episodes.

The series has won several awards since its debut, including the Asian Television Awards, Apollo Awards, Gold Panda Awards, and Web TV Asia Awards. In 2017, it was nominated for an international Kids Emmy Award.[6]

Plot

The series focuses on seven human-like creatures in colorful furry suits called the Oddbods: Fuse, Pogo, Newt, Slick, Bubbles, Jeff and Zee.

The storyline of each episode depicts how these characters "survive the perils of everyday life, unintentionally turning ordinary situations into unexpected, extraordinary and always humorous events." Episodes typically employ physical comedy and pranks played out between the characters, and the events that follow.

The series was conceived as a non-dialogue comedy, which the series' creators and writers say, "captures the madcap yet charming antics of the Oddbods, who celebrate success where they find it and take failure in their stride. To turn 'different' into a positive; celebrating individuality in a humorous, warm and unexpected way."

The series' strapline is "Embrace Your Inner Odd, There's a Little Odd in Everyone!"

Characters

Main
  • Fuse (Red; voiced by Marlon Dance-Hooi): He's the hot-headed Oddbod. He can instantly change from serene to enraged, which makes his friends avoid him whenever he is in a bad mood, but admire his 'heart of gold'. He is always willing to play sports, but only if he wins.
  • Slick (Orange; voiced by Chio Su Ping): He believes in YOLO. But suffers from FOMO. He likes to dance, and tries to act as the cool person in the group.
  • Bubbles (Yellow; voiced by Chio Su Ping): She energetically performs experiments with an obsession of discovering interesting objects, such as insects to UFOs. Her friends like her for her personality, although they do not like being excluded from her personal experiments.
  • Zee (Green; voiced by Jeremy Linn): He always takes naps, even while eating. His laid-back attitude serves as both strength and weaknesses when it comes to his friendships with the others.
  • Pogo (Blue; voiced by Marlon Dance-Hooi): He does not follow common etiquette as he is dubbed the 'ultimate prankster'. His friends like his practical jokes if they are not aimed at them.
  • Jeff (Purple; voiced by Jeremy Linn): He is finicky in that he is able to create order in anything, with his friends' admiration of his detail, as he can spot extremely tiny dust particles, and is very tidy. He is very talented in art and remembering people's birthdays; however, he wishes that he can act in a more relaxed manner.
  • Newt (Pink; voiced by Nadia Ramlee): She is addicted to candy and her friends are inspired by her pleasant interaction with others, although she can be arrogant. She is inquisitive, always hangs out with her friends, and enjoys taking selfies with them.

Recurring

Characters who have recurred across different stories although some appeared only in one episode:

  • BG Oddbods (Gray; voiced by all actors): They all look the same and act, by and large, like typical citizens. Some BG Oddbods have accessories, like moustaches and hats.
  • Yin and Yang (Black (Yin) and White (Yang); voiced by Marlon Dance-Hooi): They are the Odd Ninjas. These Ninjas are actually actors of a TV show, not members of the Oddbods.
  • Modo (Light Blue; voiced by Marlon Dance-Hooi): He only appears in One Two Many. He is a cloned version of Pogo. Modo is a very mischievous character (much like Pogo himself), but even more so than Pogo.
  • Oddroid: Oddroid would do anything with anybody but mostly being Slick who bought him and acts like a friend to all but he gets struck by lightning, and since then, wants to destroy everything and anyone who annoys him and appears to be always in a bad mood.
  • Genie (voiced by Jeremy Linn): He only appears in the episode Pogo and the Lamp. The Genie seems grumpy and doesn't care that much. He is willing to offer wishes (like a usual Genie) but does not like being waken up constantly.
  • Robo Helper (voiced by Chio Su Ping and Jeremy Linn): It only appears in Robo Helper. The Robo Helper is a robot that was invented by Bubbles.

Guest

Characters who had only appeared in Special Episodes

  • Marv (Gray; voiced by Jeremy Linn): Marv is a magician who had turned most of the Oddbods (except Slick) into monsters because they laughed at him. And so it’s up to Slick to bring back the magician and undo the magic spell and bring back the Oddbods to life again. He has only appeared in Party Monsters.
  • Santa Claus (Coral Red; voiced by Marlon Dance-Hooi and Marc Thompson): He appears in the Christmas-themed episodes, The Festive Menace and Festive Encounters.
  • Oddbeard: He appears only in Oddbeard's Curse. He is a Pirate Captain with a Golden Tooth who died after the Battle with some Sailors.

Production

Development

Speaking in an interview with the Manchester Evening News in 2016, Richard Thomas, the creator of the Oddbods and creative director at One Animation described how he first devised the show:[7]

It was the themes of friendship & personality that inspired the creation of Oddbods. I wanted them to have an aesthetic appeal, but underneath the simplistic design I wanted them to have 'relatable' depth of character; individuals with a heart and core personality that the viewer could relate to. The non-dialogue approach was very deliberate - it was important that the animation conveyed the emotion. Every nuance counts, the eye dart, the raised eyebrow, the posture...it's the subtleties that bring the characters to life. The production process is intense but finely honed and we work with a huge and complex team of global animation professionals to bring the show to life; from animators, to script-writers to design and lighting experts to the directors who shape all of the action. At a time when powerful forces seek to divide us because of our differences, the Oddbods are a small voice in opposition celebrating those differences and the joy and richness they can bring to our everyday lives.

One Animation

Founded in 2008, One Animation Pte Ltd is a Singaporean CGI animation studio based in the Alexandra subzone of the Bukit Merah district.[8] The company has also produced Rob the Robot, Insectibles and Development Series (Hard Boiled and Abigail's Tales).[9] The company has produced a portfolio of successful animated series that are broadcast on global networks such as Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney XD, Discovery Kids, ABC, and seen across more than 100 countries worldwide.

The company focuses on developing family-focused TV, film and new media content, facilitating shorter than average production schedules, utilizing a crew that is typically one-third the size of a traditional CGI animation production team.

In May 2022, One Animation was acquired by Candle Media company Moonbug Entertainment.[4]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed by Kristin Øhrn Dyrud.[10]

Minibods

Minibods is a spin-off of Oddbods that features five out of the seven main Oddbods characters as toddlers with the addition of new character, Lulu. It premiered in 15 April 2023 on the series' YouTube channel with 39 episodes produced.[11]

Episodes
Main article: List of Oddbods episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
16020132015
2602016TBA
3604 April 2022 (2022-04-04)4 April 2022 (2022-04-04)
Specials3 October 2018 (2018-10-03)TBA

Broadcast and release

The series has been broadcast on 25 networks in 105 countries worldwide on free-to-air, as well as subscription channels, such as Boomerang,[12][13] Disney Channel,[14][2] Télétoon+ (France),[14][2] ITV (UK),[12] Cartoonito (Italy),[13] RCTI, ANTV, RTV (coming soon) Spacetoon (Now) (Indonesia), Kapamilya Channel (Philippines), ETTV Yoyo (Taiwan) and Cartoon Network. It is also available on-demand on social media channels, most notably YouTube, iQIYI (China) and ABC Me (Australia), where it has gained over one billion views in just one year. There are currently approximately 9,75 Million subscribers to the series' YouTube channel.[15] In 2015, the series aired on Disney XD in the United States and last aired in 2015. In 2016 Japan, the series aired on Disney XD with adaptation of The Oddbods Show, only showing in season 1, but it stopped airing and removed the show.[16] The series came on ITVBe's LittleBe on 3 September 2018. Also, the series came to Disney XD in 2020, but stopped airing and streamed episodes on DisneyNOW, which also stopped streaming episodes.[17] In 2017, Netflix added seasons 1 and 2 into their streaming service only other countries available in season 2, such as Singapore, Philippines, Japan and South Korea, the streaming removed season 2 and only showing season 1 in 2021.

Reception

Ratings

In 2015, Oddbods was one of the highest-rated children's television shows in the United Kingdom, by number of viewers.[18][19] It was one of CiTV's top five shows for the first quarter of 2016.[19]

Awards
  • 2014: Best 3D animation at Television Asia Plus[20]
  • 2014: Asia Image Apollo Awards[20]
  • 2014: Apollo Awards: 3D Animation[21]
  • 2015: Sichuan TV Festival 'God Panda' Award: best animated character[22]
  • 2016: Web TV Asia Awards
  • 2017: International Emmy Kids Awards (Nominee)
  • 2019: International Emmy Kids Awards (Nominee)
  • 2020: International Emmy Kids Awards (Nominee)

Interactive

In January 2017, One Animation launched a new look website dedicated to the Oddbods as a place where fans of the show (adults and children alike) can interact with the brand.

The site hosts seven games with player leaderboards.[23] Other features include videos, user generated content, in store section, shop now section, interactive background pages on each of the characters complete with trading card-style character summary and related videos.[23] There is also an interactive collector poster which allows fans to view the episode their collectible figurine was inspired by.

Licensing

In 2016, One Animation announced via press releases various partnerships with key licensing partners for Oddbods around the world including, amongst others, with ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE)[24][25] and Copyright Promotions and Licensing Group (CPLG).

This led to the commencement of a global licensing programme being rolled out, the first of which was a range of toys[9] made available first in Europe and the Middle East.[26] As well as extending the toy availability around the world over the course of 2017/18, a wider range of consumer products including apparel, giftware and stationery are also in the pipeline.[25]

Notes
  1. Some others countries are using original titles Oddbods and translate the series.

References
  1. Fisher, Daniela (27 February 2015). "Broadcasters go for One Animation's Oddbods". Kidscreen. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  2. Dickson, Jeremy (29 January 2016). "Just launched – Oddbods". Kidscreen. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  3. Wolfe, Jennifer (8 December 2015). "One Animation Adds Rose Ng to Senior Management Team". Animation World Network. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  4. "Moonbug Acquires 'Oddbods' Studio One Animation". Animation Magazine. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  5. Wire, PR (10 October 2014). "Singapore Makes Strong Showing at MIPCOM with Line-up of Over 530 Hours of Asian and Original TV and Animation Content". Antara News. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  6. Foster, Elizabeth (16 October 2017). "Nominees announced for International Emmy Kids Awards". Kidscreen. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  7. Gill, Emma (21 September 2016). "Manchester man's Oddbods YouTube cartoon spawns global toy spin-off - and we've got some to give away". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  8. "One Animation Pte. Ltd.· 305 Alexandra Road, #05-05, Vantage Automotive Centre, Singapore 159942". opengovsg.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  9. Dickson, Jeremy (10 June 2015). "One Animation and RP2 to launch Oddbods toys". Kidscreen. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  10. Øhrn Dyrud, Kristin (26 July 2016). "Oddbods Season 1 Wrap". Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  11. Erica Rivera (20 April 2023). "Meet Minibods, Your Preschooler's New YouTube Obsession". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  12. Goldman Getzler, Wendy (9 February 2016). "The Oddbods go long". Kidscreen. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  13. Franks, Nico (9 February 2016). "Int'l nets take longer Oddbods". C21Media. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  14. "Disney XD, TéléTOON+ Go for Kids' Comedy Oddbods". 27 February 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  15. "Oddbods - Official Channel". YouTube. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  16. 2016年11月のディズニーXD (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  17. "ITV's littleBe block adds preschool content". Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  18. Milligan, Mercedes (9 May 2016). "'Oddbods' Sees Rising Ratings in U.K." Animation Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  19. Staff (16 May 2016). "One Animation's 'Oddbods' Reaps Rising U.K. Ratings". Animation World Network. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  20. "Behind the scenes: One Animation studios". Cartoons Underground. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  21. "2014 Winners". Apollo Awards. Archived from the original on 29 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  22. "Pink bird 'Stella' won at Gold Panda awards". Embassy of Finland, Beijing. 11 November 2015. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  23. "Welcome to OddBods". One Animation. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  24. Dickens, Andrew (12 October 2015). "ITVSGE takes Oddbods". C21Media. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  25. Foster, Elizabeth (5 October 2016). "ITVS signs new UK licensees for Oddbods". C21Media. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  26. Callan, Patrick (1 February 2016). "One Animation's dialog-free Oddbods gets ready to make some retail noise". Kidscreen. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
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