Pocoyo Character Overview
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''Pocoyo'' ( in Spanish and stylised as ''POCOYO'') is an animated interactive
preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...
comedy television series created by David Cantolla, Luis Gallego, and Guillermo García Carsí, that premiered on 7 January 2005 on La 2. The series was produced by the Spanish animation company Zinkia Entertainment, with the first two series were co-productions with Granada Kids, and the first series was a co-production of
Cosgrove Hall Films Cosgrove Hall Films was a British animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, headquartered in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was a major producer of children's television and animated programmes/films, which are s ...
, both in the United Kingdom. In 2019, ''Pocoyo'' was a co-production of Koyi Talent. Four series have been produced, each consisting of 52 seven-minute episodes along with 60 specials produced for
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. The show is currently in its fifth series. English actor and comedian
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
narrates the English-language version of the first two series of the show, while Stephen Hughes began narrating starting the third series, titled ''Let's Go Pocoyo''. José María del Río narrates the
Castilian Spanish In English, Castilian Spanish can mean the variety of Peninsular Spanish spoken in northern and central Spain, the standard form of Spanish, or Spanish from Spain in general. In Spanish, the term (Castilian) can either refer to the Spanish langu ...
version of the show. A half-hour special film titled ''Pocoyo & the Space Circus'' premiered on 23 November 2008 at Cine Capitol. On 21 December 2008, a one-hour special titled ''El Show de Pocoyo'' ("Pocoyo's Show" in English) premiered on La 1 to promote the release of ''The Space Circus''. On 27 August 2009, another musical one-hour special titled ''Pocoyo's Big Party'' was released on CD, with a linear premiere on
Clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
on 31 December 2015. From 2014 to 2016, multiple half-hour specials based on various holidays were released on YouTube and
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. A second film titled ''Pocoyo in Cinemas: Your First Movie'' which featured the short film, ''Pocoyo and the League of Extraordinary Super Friends'' released in cinemas on 11 May 2018 in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, with a Spain release on 23 June. The fifth series was released on 22 July 2024 with the first 13 episodes on
Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...
(formerly known as HBO Max) for
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
and aired on
Cartoonito Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and Block programming, programming blocks aimed at preschool children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish language, Spanish suffix " ...
in that region. On June 2021, a spin-off series titled ''Yanko & Nina'' was announced by Zinkia to be in development and focus more on Pocoyo's friends, Nina and Yanko. However, the series would later be retooled into another series titled ''Yanco, Dina and the Dinosaurs'' in 2022. The series is expected to release in 2026. In 2023, the franchise was acquired by Animaj. With the use of AI tools, a new series will release every 12 to 18 months for traditional television and premium streaming services. Fans as well as other viewers expressed mixed to negative reception with Zinkia's decision to sell the IP to Animaj, as well as Animaj's use of AI especially their own AI software "Sketch-to-motion" in order to produce more Pocoyo content in the future. As of 2024, it has been confirmed that a sixth series is set to release in 2026, a third feature film will release in 2028, and a seventh series will release between 2029 and 2030.


Overview

Set in a
3D space In geometry, a three-dimensional space (3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a mathematical space in which three values (''coordinates'') are required to determine the position (geometry), position of a point (geometry), poi ...
called Pocoyo World, with a plain white background and usually no backdrops, the series is about Pocoyo, a four-year-old kid who is dressed all in blue, interacting with his animal companions Elly (an elephant), Pato (a duck), Nina (a girl), Fred (an octopus), Loula (a dog), Roberto (a robot), Baby Bird, Caterpillar and Sleepy Bird. Viewers are encouraged to recognize situations that Pocoyo is in, and things that are going on with or around him. The Narrator usually speaks explicitly to the viewers and to the characters as well. Each character has its own distinctive dance and also a specific sound (usually from a musical instrument), and most episodes end with the characters dancing.


Characters


Main

* Pocoyo is the
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
of the series. He is a 4-year-old kid who is full of curiosity and loves to play games and discover new things. He is an innocent, happy, and childish character who is very acrobatic and moves at a quick speed. Pocoyo is always depicted wearing a blue three-flap hat, a blue jacket with a yellow zipper, and a pair of blue pants and shoes. His best friends are Pato, Elly, Loula, Sleepy Bird, and Baby Bird. He has a red race car and a shapeshifting bird-like spaceship called Vamoosh. Although he is friendly and almost always in a good mood, Pocoyo is also highly self-centered, distracted by the simplest things, easily frustrated, frequently jealous of his friends, and can be very disobedient; but he tries his hardest to fight his flaws and learn morals, and often shows that he is affectionate and caring towards others. * The Narrator (voiced by
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
in series 1–2 & series 5 (part 2), and Stephen Hughes in series 3–5 (part 1), in English; José María del Río in Castilian Spanish) speaks over the entire show and often communicates directly with the characters. Pocoyo has a good relationship with him and is always delighted to see (hear) him. The Narrator is also at times physically involved in the events of the episodes, making him more of a heard-but-not-seen character rather than a strict narrator. * Pato is a yellow duck who wears nothing but a small green top hat. He has a fondness for gardening and is often seen watering plants and flowerbeds. "Pato" means ''duck'' in Spanish. He is a favorite amongst the show's target audience due to his enjoyable dancing and the fact that his bill turns 360 degrees. Although friendly, Pato is the most fastidious and impatient character (indicated by his bill that bends in an angle when disappointed or shocked); on occasion he completely loses his temper, jumping up and down and quacking furiously with his bill spinning rapidly. He is used as a jackhammer or missile and can become a helicopter. In the 2002 pilot episode, he was first called Ducky before his final name was given. * Elly is a pink elephant who always wears a blue backpack. She loves making
biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be savoury, similar to crackers. ...
s and tea, and having tea parties with her friends. She also has a
doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...
named Daisy whom she cares for very much, and keeps in her backpack when she is not using it. She usually takes Daisy with her on her tea parties. Despite her size, she is graceful and gentle, capable of ballet dancing, and serves as a mother figure to Pocoyo, being forgiving and always taking care of him. She can, however, be very bossy and generally does things her way. She usually rides around on her pink scooter. * Loula is an orange and magenta
beagle The Beagle is a small breed of scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting rabbit or hare, known as beagling. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking inst ...
puppy who is Pocoyo's pet and companion. She also strictly walks on all four of her legs. She sometimes hops as she walks. She is mostly curious and shy, as she can be easily frightened. Originally, the character's name was Lucas, in tribute to co-creator and director Guillermo García Carsi's dog, but due to a shortage of female characters, the character was renamed Loula. * The Audience (Grace Foy, Alicia Mahady, & Claudia Sánchez in series 3, and Kai Melogno & Alba Ramos in "The Easter Rabbit" & "Pocoyo's World Sports Games") are a group of children who, like the Narrator, speak over the show, answering questions asked by the Narrator in order to assist Pocoyo in solving a problem or to let Pocoyo in on what's going on. * Nina is another human character who is introduced in the fourth series episode of the same name. She is a young girl similar to Pocoyo who has red hair, wears a lime green hoodie with two antennas, lime green shorts, and lime green shoes. Like Pato, she greatly loves plants and nature. She naturally speaks mostly a form of gibberish with a Japanese accent, but can also speak fluent English, though not as much as Pocoyo. Her name resembles "niña", Spanish for "girl". Thanks to her robotic pet called Roberto (pronounced Roh-bear-toe), she has the ability to shrink herself, as well as anything and anyone. **Roberto is a small, bug-like robot who is Nina's companion. He is first introduced in the series 4 episode "Nina" along with Nina. Roberto has the ability to transform into other kinds of useful machines. Like Nina, he has the ability to make anyone shrink including himself, which he does via a press of his button. He can sometimes be highly protective to Nina when they go together along with friends. *Bea is an upcoming character for the fifth series of Pocoyo, and the third human character introduced in the franchise. She is Pocoyo's little sister who mainly wears yellow with her hair of the same colour similarly shaped as a hat with two ears on top. A blue flower is shown in her hair as an accessory. She has a chaotic yet adorable personality which bothers Pocoyo with her antics. Despite this, Pocoyo is protective to her as her big brother. Bea's name was originally Pocoyina when series 5 was first announced.


Recurring

*Scarlet "Sleepy" Bird is avteal-coloured
songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...
. She does little but sleep, and usually flies with her eyes halfway open. While sleeping, she is usually disturbed by Pocoyo and his friends and their antics. She is named "Pajaroto" in the Spanish version (reportedly named after a Zinkia employee nicknamed "Maroto", and bearing a strong resemblance to him). *Baby Bird is the small, always active and loud baby of Sleepy Bird, who gets into tricky situations from which he is rescued by Pocoyo. He was introduced in the series 1 episode "Sleepy Bird's Surprise". He is also a songbird like Sleepy Bird and is best friends with Caterpillar. He is named "Pajarito" in the Spanish version of the show ('little bird'). *Caterpillar is a yellow-coloured
caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
with a blue bow on top of her head. She speaks in gibberish and has the ability to change into a butterfly and back when she wants. She was introduced in the series 1 episode "Pocoyo's Little Friend". She is best friends with Baby Bird and has a love interest for Angry Alien. When overjoyed or frustrated, she tends to slam her face forward into the ground repeatedly. In the Spanish version of the show, Caterpillar is known as "Valentina". Caterpillar may be renamed Valentina in the second half of series 5. *Fred is a hyperactive and wacky but stubborn
red octopus ''Red Octopus'' is the second album by American rock band Jefferson Starship, released on Grunt Records in 1975. Certified double platinum by RIAA in 1995, it is the best-selling album by any incarnation of Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off gr ...
(although he is shown with only 4 legs to make animation rendering simpler) who speaks in gibberish like Caterpillar, and is very fond of opera singing. He can also be a comedian and can easily make his friends laugh with his jokes. Despite being a clown to his friends, he can sometimes be serious, taking everything literally. In the Spanish version of the show, he is known as "Pulpo" which means "octopus" in Spanish. Fred may be renamed Pulpo in the second half of series 5. *Whale is a huge light gray
sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the Genus (biology), genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the s ...
with red cheeks who lives under the sea. She sometimes plays with Fred along with Pocoyo and his friends. *The Ball Orchestra is a group of three ball-like creatures who play the trumpet, drums, and cymbals. In the Spanish version of the show, they are known as "Orquesta Pelota". *Aliens are a family of small tripodal one-eyed alien creatures that Pocoyo and his friends usually find whenever they go to space. They communicate with one another using staccato 'clicking' noises. **Green Alien is among the family of small tripodal one-eyed alien creatures, but is the main alien Pocoyo and his friends hang out with. He first appeared in the series 2 episode "New on the Planet". Unlike the other aliens, Green Alien lives on his own planet that has many cool things like drum-like craters or a button that changes the colour of other planets. He is also shown to be shy and easily scared. In the Spanish version of the show, he is known as "Marciano Verde". **Strange Alien is an orange alien and Pato's brief love interest. He first appeared in the series 2 episode "Scary Noises". Unlike the other aliens, there is only one variation of himself and he has a
drawer A drawer ( ) is a box-shaped container inside a piece of furniture that can be pulled out horizontally to access its contents. Drawers are built into numerous types of furniture, including cabinets, chests of drawers (bureaus), desks, and ...
-like mouth. In Pocoyo World, he works various jobs such as a postman. In the Spanish version of the show, he is known as "Extraño Alien". **Angry Alien is an evil green martian who usually attempts to take over Pocoyo World. He first appeared in the series 2 episode of the same name. Despite his efforts, his plans are usually thwarted when he learns the true meaning of having fun, but usually becomes Pocoyo's archnemesis shortly after. In ''Pocoyo & the Space Circus'' and "Pocoyo's Restaurant", Angry Alien is revealed to have many identical family members. He is also Caterpillar's love interest. He is named "Marciano Furioso" in the Spanish version of the show. **The Martian Brothers are a group of acrobatic martians that love to host circuses. They first appear in the short film ''Pocoyo & the Space Circus''. In the Spanish version of the show, they are known as "Hermanos Marcianos". *Tori-Doris (Doris pronounced daw-reez) are a musical band of sentient shapes that Pocoyo and Pato befriend in the series 2 episode "Band of Friends". *Baby Spider is a small blue spider that hatched out of an egg that Pato found in the series 2 episode "Pato's Egg". Despite being kind-hearted and sweet, in his first appearance, he used to unintentionally frighten Pocoyo and Elly due to their fear of spiders, but later learn that he is not as scary as they thought. He is known as "Arañita" in the Spanish version of the show which means "spider". *The Dinosaur & the Ant are a pair of best friends who appear in the "Pocoyo's Fairy Tales" segments in certain series 3 episodes. The Dinosaur & the Ant are shown doing activities like playing in the beach and shopping in a supermarket together. In the series 3 episode "Picnic", it was revealed that the Ant's real name is Harold, though the Dinosaur's real name is unknown. In the Spanish version of the show, they are known as "El Dinosaurio y la Hormiga". *Los Hermanos Chihuahua (Spanish for "The Chihuahua Brothers") are a music band of
skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...
s that play
mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...
music. They first appear in the 2017 Halloween special "Pocoyo and Nina's Terror Show". On Halloween, they are usually depicted as
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
skeletons. *Yanko is a friendly snow
yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.
is an ape-like creature purported t ...
first befriended by Pocoyo and Loula introduced in the 2019 Christmas special "A Very Special Guest". Despite his humongous size, he has a big heart and cares about everyone.


Development and production

Pocoyo's name was provided by David Cantolla, one of the creators, after his then two-year-old daughter used it in her nightly "Dear Child Jesus ()" prayers saying "Eres niño poco yo" ("You're a child little me"), but not "Eres niño como yo" ("You're a child like me"). "Pocoyo" could roughly be translated to English as "little me", though it is a made-up construction. The show is animated with
Softimage XSI Autodesk Softimage is a discontinued 3D computer graphics application, for producing 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling, and computer animation. Now owned by Autodesk and formerly titled Softimage XSI (stylized as Softimage, XSI), the software has ...
software. The show was first announced to be in development in March 2003. In October, it was announced that Carlton International would co-produce and distribute the series, and that production delivery on the first half of the first series would begin in September 2004. In March 2004, Novel Entertainment joined in production as co-producer with Carlton and Zinkia. However, nothing else was known about this initial announcement otherwise. The show was showcased by Granada International at MIP TV in April 2005, with a broadcast window for
CITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...
announced for the autumn. It was also announced that Stephen Fry would narrate the series in the United Kingdom. The series was renewed for a second series on May 12, 2006. The makers also wish to embark upon other projects, one of which may be a ''Pocoyo'' movie. In June 2006, ''Pocoyo'' was awarded the Cristal Award for the "Best TV Production" at the 30th
Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...
. In April 2011, Zinkia and ITV Global Entertainment announced they would end their co-distribution partnership on the series and that Zinkia would now hold worldwide distribution of the series. In November 2016,
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
and
YouTube Kids YouTube Kids is an American video app and website developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. The app provides a version of the service oriented solely towards children, with curated selections of content, parental control features, and filte ...
announced that the fourth series would be released exclusively on those platforms. Zinkia CEO Alberto Delgado stated "In that time 0 yearsPocoyo has developed a truly global fan, base so premiering the fourth season exclusively on YouTube and the YouTube Kids app seemed like the best way to celebrate such an exciting milestone." In May 2023, Zinkia announced the sale of the franchise to French children's investment firm Animaj for an undisclosed amount. The sale would include all IP rights, distribution, and licensing to the franchise but would exclude the educational portions, which Zinkia would retain. In exchange for the deal, Zinkia would acquire a 7.99% in Animaj. The deal was closed on September 20, 2023.


Episodes


Series overview

Four series have been produced, each consisting of 52 seven-minute episodes along with 60 specials produced for
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. The show is currently in its fifth series. There is also an unreleased pilot episode entitled "The See-Saw". This pilot was only released in the DVD version of "El Show de Pocoyo" during 2009. The third series was known as Let's Go Pocoyo, with episodes that have different segments. The 1st segment relates to the topic of the story, while the 2nd segment involves premises like counting, exercising, and learning about shapes. At the end of every episode (before the end credits), there is a music video titled "Let's Sing", recapping the story and remembering all the objects that were in the story. The segments include: 1st segments * Surfing the Net with Elly: Pocoyo asks Elly to search for videos (clips from the first two series) on her computer, with each video focusing on a specific topic in the episode. For example, in "Pocoyo's Band", Pocoyo tells Elly to search for a video that is loud and Elly shows him a scene in the series 2 episode "Baby Bird Sitting", where Baby Bird throws a fit on not wanting to get cake and then he and Caterpillar yell at Pato in his face. At the end, Pocoyo and the Narrator thank Elly for researching the topic. * Pocoyo's Fairy Tales: Pocoyo shares with the Narrator and the Audience a story of a
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
and an
ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
, the main characters and a pair of best friends. Each story follows the Dinosaur and the Ant enduring in fun activities, similar to the plot of the episode. * A Quiet Moment with Sleepy Bird: While Sleepy Bird sleeps, Pocoyo shows pictures of objects (relating to the topic of the episode) and he and the Audience yell it out loud, thus waking up Sleepy Bird much to her and the Narrator's dismay. On the last object, Pocoyo shows Sleepy Bird it quietly and then yell it out loud with the audience while the Narrator bids Sleepy Bird good night to end the segment. * The Martian Brothers' Show: While on their planet in space, the Martian Brothers usually discover an object (relating to the topic of the episode) and the Narrator and the Audience tell them what it is. Some variations of the segment sometimes ends with the blue martian taking a bite out of the object, with the others looking confused. A slideshow of all the objects are shown at the end. * Professor Pato: Pato becomes a professor and teaches his students (Baby Bird, Caterpillar, and Angry Alien) about the difference between things (relating to the topic of the episode). Some variations of the segment end with either one of the students (Angry Alien (mostly) or Baby Bird (once)) yelling an answer at Pato's face, causing him to fall over or the chalkboard to fall on him. The Narrator ends the segment with the class on a diploma with a tag with Pato's face on it and saying "Lesson approved by Professor Pato." 2nd segments * Shape Shuffle: Pocoyo plays a game with the Narrator where he must guess what object Pocoyo has made using 3 select shapes. At the end, Pocoyo combines the objects together and the Narrator recaps each shape. * Wheel of Colours: Pocoyo, Pato, and Elly participate in a challenge to take a picture of an object based on the colour they are challenged to find. At the end, for their second thing, they have a mystery character and once they found out who it is, the Narrator ends the segment with "Hooray for (name of color)!" * Fred Says: A parody of
Simon Says Simon Says is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should be foll ...
, Fred plays a game where Pocoyo, Pato, and Elly must do whatever he says. At the end, the water fills back up with the Narrator saying "Fred Says: That's all!" * Animals: Dot to Dot: When Pocoyo does not what animal the picture is about, the Narrator helps him by connecting the dots. At the end, the picture is finished and the animal gives their animal noise. * Number Menu: Pato and Strange Alien go out on a dinner together at Pocoyo and Elly's restaurant and order a specific number of food. However, just as Pato gets ready to eat, Strange Alien eats all the food, including the table. She then gives Pato a specific number of hearts, making him overjoyed. Series 4 consists of episodes similar to the first two series, but now with less audience engagement from the Narrator. Originally on YouTube, the first half produced 26 episodes and it became successful. Because of its success, the second half with 26 episodes was produced exclusively on the Spanish children's channel
Clan TVE Clan is a Spanish free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Televisión Española (TVE), the television division of state-owned public broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE). It is the corporation's television channel for kid ...
, ABC Kids in Australia, and exclusively in the Pocoyo Party game for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
. Later in mid-2024, the second half of series 4 would begin to be uploaded to YouTube. Since 2016, there are specials in relation with the holidays each year with few relating to sports. Following the success of series 4, there are episodes produced as a web series, and both series are exclusively online in YouTube. Series 5 released its first 13 episodes exclusively on
Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...
in Latin America on 22 July 2024. When the second batch releases in Q2 2025, the series will feature more new characters like Pocoyo's little sister, Bea along with new locations expanding Pocoyo World. It will also feature the return of British actor and comedian
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
who narrated the first 2 series of Pocoyo as well with Pocoyo speaking in full sentences with his friends, adding more depth for the story and appeal fans in a new way. Similar to the series 4 episode "Dragon Island", five of the episodes will be mixed into live action.


Broadcast


United Kingdom

In 2006, the series started airing on
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...
. On September 11, 2007, Granada International pre-sold the first and second series to Five's
Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British Children's television series, children's television programming block on 5 (British TV channel), 5. Originally launched in 1997, it is currently aimed at children aged 2 to 7. History Th ...
strand. This deal meant that while the CITV Channel could still air the series, they could not air it within Milkshake!'s airtime. On April 24, 2012,
Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (sometimes disambiguated as Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon or Nick Jr. on Nick, and sometimes referred to as Nick, Jr.) is an American morning programming block that airs on Nickelodeon every weekday. It was launched on January 4, 1988. Nick ...
acquired rights to all three series to air on the network, as well as Nick Jr. Too.


Spain

In June 2006,
TVE2 La 2 (, ''The Two'') is a Spanish free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Televisión Española (TVE), the television division of state-owned public broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE). It is the corporation's second tele ...
and
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
acquired free and pay-TV rights respectively to the series from Zinkia. The first series premiered on TVE2 in October 2006. The second series premiered on the network in April 2008. The third series, ''Let's Go Pocoyo'' began airing in 2010. In October 2017,
Clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
acquired the TV rights to the fourth series. In October 2024, the fifth series started airing on the network.


Other

In April 2005, the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
became the first international broadcaster to acquire the series. In October, Granada pre-sold the series to
Treehouse TV Treehouse TV (commonly known as Treehouse) is a Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary specialty channel that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from sister network YTV (Canadian TV channel), YTV's former programming b ...
(Canada),
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
(Southeast Asia),
TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...
(New Zealand),
CYBC Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (; ), or CyBC (; ), is Cyprus' public broadcasting service. It transmits island-wide on four radio and two domestic television channels, and uses one satellite channel for the Cypriot diaspora. It also transmits o ...
(Cyprus) Gulf DTH/
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
and MBC (Middle East), IBC (Iceland), EBS (South Korea),
Alter Channel Alter Channel, better known as Alter, was a private TV channel in Greece. It was launched in 1990 and owned by Eleftheri Tileorasi S.A. and was headed by Andreas Kouris. Alter's programming mainly consisted of news, current affairs shows and ent ...
(Greece), RTFBH (Bosnia), RTV (Slovenia),
BabyTV BabyTV (stylised as Baby''tv'') is a multilingual, international television channel for babies, toddlers and preschoolers aged 4 or lower. In Israel, the channel is owned and operated by Talit Communications while The Walt Disney Company Lim ...
,
Hop! Air France Hop, formerly branded HOP!, is a French regional airline operating flights on behalf of its parent company Air France. The airline was founded on 21 December 2012 after the merger of Airlinair, Brit Air and Régional brands. Its hea ...
, LuliTV (Israel) and the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
(Australia). At the time, deals were current underway for Germany, Japan, Finland, Sweden, France and Hong Kong. In March 2006,
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
acquired French broadcast rights. This was followed up in May with Granada pre-selling the series to
KiKA Kika may refer to: People * Kika de la Garza (1927–2017), American politician * Kika Edgar (born 1985), Mexican actress and singer * Kika Karadi (born 1975), American contemporary artist * Kika Markham (born 1940), English actress * Kika M ...
(Germany),
Discovery Kids Discovery Kids, stylized as discovery k!ds, is a brand name owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting as a television block within Discovery Channel, the brand expanded as a separate television channel in October 1996. Discovery Kids on NBC was ...
(Latin America), WOWOW (Japan) and
MNET M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
(South Africa), and Zinkia selling Portuguese rights to RTP in June. In October, Granada pre-sold the pay TV rights to the series to Disney Channel Scandivania, while
Yle Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock comp ...
acquired free-TV rights to the first series in Finland. In April 2008, Zinkia pre-sold Mexican broadcast rights to
Grupo Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...
. In 2010, the series entered Italy when Zinkia sold broadcast rights to
Rai 2 Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting '' TG2'' news bulletins, ta ...
in March and the United States in April when ITV Global Entertainment sold the series to the
Nick Jr. Channel The Nick Jr. Channel, sometimes shortened to Nick Jr., is an American pay television, pay television channel owned by the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. An offshoot of Nickelodeon ...
for broadcast within the spring. In the US, the series was originally shown as 7-minute segments between shows before being expanded to a half-hour show from July 23, 2011, to January 1, 2015. Episodes of the show were made available on the Noggin app. Episodes of "Pocoyo Planet", a compilation spin-off series were also available on the app as well. In end of same year, the series also broadcast on
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and aired by
RCTI RCTI (abbreviated from ''Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia'') is an Indonesian free-to-air television broadcaster. It is best known for its soap operas, celebrity bulletins, news, and sports programmes. It was first launched in 1989, origi ...
with Indonesian languages, then it will soon be aired on Mentari TV (a sister channel of
Indosiar PT Indosiar Visual Mandiri, commonly known as Indosiar, is an Indonesian over-the-air television broadcaster, established on 19 July 1991, with test broadcasts commencing on 18 December 1994, and officially launching on 11 January 1995. It ha ...
) in 2024. ''Pocoyo'' aired alongside ''
Peep and the Big Wide World ''Peep and the Big Wide World'' is an Animated series, animated children's television series, preschool television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover ...
'' in a shared half-hour timeslot on public television in the US from 2010 to 2021. It was distributed to local
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
stations through
American Public Television American Public Television (APT) is an American nonprofit organization and syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States. It distributes public television programs nationwide for PBS member stations and indepen ...
from January 2010 until January 2018, when it was picked up by
PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...
24/7 Channel. In 2021, the series moved to US commercial broadcast on
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
on September 13, 2021, as part of their preschool block
Cartoonito Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and Block programming, programming blocks aimed at preschool children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish language, Spanish suffix " ...
. The show was removed from Cartoonito's lineup on September 23, 2022, and was removed from
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
on September 30, 2022. The broadcast of the series on PBS Kids came to an end on December 26, 2021, and it, along with the show it aired with, was replaced with reruns of ''
Dinosaur Train ''Dinosaur Train'' is an animated television series aimed at children ages 3 to 6 and created by Craig Bartlett, who also created Nickelodeon's '' Hey Arnold!''. The series features a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' named Buddy who, together with the re ...
'' to the 7:30 a.m. weekend morning time slot instead. On September 12, 2022, the series was added to
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. In 2024, the first 13 episodes of series 5 released on
Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...
on 22 July 2024 in Latin America, and started airing on
Cartoonito Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and Block programming, programming blocks aimed at preschool children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish language, Spanish suffix " ...
in that region. As of September 2024, it is unknown when the series started airing on Cartoonito, but the earliest known date is 2 August 2024.


Accolades


In other media


Specials/Movies


Pocoyo & the Space Circus (2008)

''Pocoyo & the Space Circus'' had its world premiere at Cine Capitol on November 23, 2008, as part of a charity. The special later had its linear premiere on La 1 on December 21, 2008, as part of the stand-alone special ''El Show de Pocoyo'' It was announced for international distribution by Zinkia and ITV Global Entertainment in March 2009. The special centers on the Martian Brothers, a pack of 5 aliens from outer space that arrive in Pocoyo World to host a circus. Pocoyo, Elly, Pato, Loula and more join in as well.


Pocoyo and the League of Extraordinary Super Friends (Pocoyo in Cinemas: Your First Movie) (2018)

''Pocoyo in Cinemas: Your First Movie'' released in Mexican cinemas on May 11, 2018. It released in Spain cinemas on June 23, 2018, and worldwide on June 24, 2018. In Spain, the film grossed $28,000 in 40 cinemas and $34,000 worldwide. The film includes a 15-minute short where Angry Alien is destroying the city using his U.F.O. So Pocoyo, as a superhero, and his team of his super friends (Pato, Elly, Nina, & Roberto including Elly's doll) join forces to stop Angry Alien from his evil schemes. The film also includes episodes from the series like "Ready, Set, Go!", "Crazy Inventions" and "Easter Eggs", plus ''Super Pocoyo'' shorts and ''Let's Go Pocoyo'' songs.


Untitled third feature film (2028)

A third feature film of Pocoyo was confirmed to release in 2028.


Video games


Console games


=Hello, Pocoyo!

= In October 2007, Zinkia signed a video game publishing deal with
Virgin Play Virgin PLAY S.A. (formerly Virgin Interactive España S.A.) was a Spanish video game distributor, and later a video game publisher. History In 1995, Virgin Interactive Entertainment and employees Mariele Isidoro and Paco Encinas formed up a Spani ...
for the video game ''Hello, Pocoyo!'', planned for a release on the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
in 2008. The game was developed in-house at Zinkia. The game released in Europe on 17 November 2008. In ''Hello, Pocoyo!'', Baby Spider finds a magic felt-tip pen and whatever he draws come to life so he draws a disco floor which flips over and all of Pocoyo's friends disappear. The player will play the role as Pocoyo and search for his friends by using clues like colouring pictures and drawing objects.


=Pocoyo Racing

= ''Pocoyo Racing'' was released for the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
and
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
on 18 November 2011, being published by Zinkia Entertainment and exclusive to Europe only. In ''Pocoyo Racing'', Pocoyo and all of his friends have a car race around Pocoyo World. The player is able to play the role as various characters including Pocoyo, Pato, or Elly and race against other characters in multiple worlds.


=Pocoyo Party

= ''Pocoyo Party'' was released for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
on 15 April 2021, and published by RECOTechnology. In ''Pocoyo Party'', following the events of the episode, "The Videogame Party", Pocoyo writes invitations to his party but Angry Alien (disguised as a mailman) steals the invitations but accidentally drops each of them in different locations. The player will play the role as Pocoyo and play multiple mini games to try and retrieve the invitations before the party starts.


Others

Alongside those games various app games have been released based on the franchise.


Notes


References


External links

*
Official ''Pocoyo'' blog
*
Guillermo García Carsi
* (Spanish) * (English) {{Former PBS Kids shows PBS Kids shows 2000s British animated television series 2000s Spanish television series 2010s animated television series 2010s Spanish television series 2020s Spanish television series 2020s animated television series 2005 animated television series debuts 2005 Spanish television series debuts 2000s preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series 2020s preschool education television series BAFTA winners (television series) British children's animated comedy television series British computer-animated television series ITV children's television shows Animated preschool education television series RTÉ original programming British preschool education television series British surreal comedy television series Spanish children's animated comedy television series Spanish preschool education television series Television series by ITV Studios Surreal comedy television series 2005 British television series debuts Television series by Cosgrove Hall Films Animated television series about children Animated television series about ducks Animated television series about elephants Animated television series about dogs Animated television series about birds NHK original programming Nick Jr. original programming RTVE shows Cartoonito original programming Spanish-language television shows British English-language television shows ITV animated television series