Zoé Kezako is a French 3D animation

3D computer graphics

3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...

 TV series (52 episodes of 13 minutes), adapted from Véronique Saüquère's book series

Book series

A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....

 published by Frimousse. The first season of the Zoé Kézako TV series was produced by Corinne Kouper at Sparkling; the second season was produced at TeamTO.

This second season is currently airing in France on TF1

TF1

TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...

 and Télétoon

Télétoon (Canadian TV channel)

Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...

. The series is also broadcast around the world : in Norway (NRK1), Sweden (SVT), Denmark (DR), Italy (RAI 3), Canada (Radio Canada

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

), Belgium (RTBF and VRT), Portugal (RTP), Finland (YLE), South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 (HBO OLE), Italy ( RAI3), Ireland (RTÉ) and in Argentina (Paka Paka).

Overview

A big round face with two springy pigtails on top, and a gangly body dressed in a stripy shirt, red tunic-dress and speedy sneakers. Zoé Kézako the TV series features the adventures of this irresistible little girl, with stacks of humor and piles of energy. The fruit of Véronique Saüquère’s imagination.

Just like all kids her age (7 and three quarters), Zoé asks herself lots of questions and is not always sure how to act in certain situations. Nothing could be more natural - after all, the one thing she doesn’t have is… Experience!

From one episode to the next, Zoé gains the vital experience for the everyday life

Everyday Life

Everyday Life is the first solo album made by Life MC of the British Hip Hop group Phi Life Cypher....

. Each individual story is a slice of livingness, a portion of knowledge we all need to get a grasp of the world and the people around us. The understanding that helps us grow up, just at the right speed. Until, one fine day, we suddenly realize that: Life is a big heap of fun!

Specifications

• Producer : Corinne Kouper
• Director : Fabrice Fouquet
• Music : Dragibus

Main Characters

• Zoé kézako: 7 ¾ years old, Zoé hates anything that gets in the way of her everyday routine and everything that disturbs her countless capricious moods. Indeed, this is the age where anything that is not your own, doesn’t concern you or revolve around you should just not exist: her two best friends
  Friendship
  Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
  
   are now spending far too much time together, strangers walk in during her favourite television show, etc. And, unlike other children, Zoé expresses it! She is straightforward and without any hang-ups, right up there with the greats, such as Calvin (from “Calvin and Hobbes”), Zazie or Mafalda. She wants it all! Like many kids her age, Zoé is going through her “center of the world” phase.
• Mariponpon Glutton:Mariponpon is more than just a “greedy piggy”! Mariponpon is as easy going and care free as Zoé is pestering. She isn’t very hard-to-please: she’ll go where it’s bright and shiny (ice-cream stand, merry-go-round
  Carousel
  A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
  
  , etc...). She finds everything and everyone positively delightful. She is very reconciling, so much so that she doesn’t even know there’s a problem in the first place. In fact, she has no opinion of her own. Everything’s just “fine and dandy”, ALL the time! The only time she ever gets mad is if she’s going along with Zoé, or because Zoé has pushed her over the edge. In other words, the rare times she loses it, she does so unwillingly.
• Tony Dingo: Tony is the local clown: he also happens to be Zoé’s neighbour. This kind-hearted loony who’ll do anything to annoy people (he tangles himself up in other people’s jump-ropes on purpose, throws papier-mâché
  Papier-mâché
  Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
  
   balls in class, etc.). Sometimes, even in his sleep, he happens to break stuff lying next to him. He’s completely unruly. Tony’s got a deep sway in his walk and he wears a hat and overalls filled with holes. He’s always in good spirits and bursting with energy. Left to his own devices, he’s insolent and a little edgy, bur deeply human. At times he can show signs of kindness and generosity, but he quickly finds himself back his craziness. In a word, Tony is totally going through “the dumb age”.
• Super Duper: Born in a distant country populated with kangaroos, he is the new star of the school. He is constantly glued to his speaker tuned to his favourite radio station
  Radio station
  Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
  
  , and always saying hype expressions like “you crack me up, dude”. He’s always got the latest clothes, the coolest gadgets, amazing roller-blades, not to mention his delicious British-sounding accent. Awesome! To make matters worse, he’s often trailing Zoé. That’s because he’s CRRRazy about Melina (who, on the other hand, couldn’t give a damn about him), who spends every Wednesday afternoon at Zoé’s house in account of the fact that her mom has asked Zoé’s mom to give her extra French lessons!
• Melina : All Melina ever thinks about is African dancing and setting the most sadistic of traps for everyone, in conjunction with Zoé!! And yet she is quite obviously the most gifted pupil in the class, which explains why everybody (parents, teachers and, basically, anyone in their right mind!) is convinced she is a future candidate for the most exclusive of universities. Melina is a mystery to everyone who knows her! Despite being extremely smart and first in class without lifting a single finger, Melina loooves picking her nose, sticking whoopee cushions on the teacher’s chair or devising the craziest of traps, with the purpose of ridiculing anyone and everyone around her! Even Zoé sometimes thinks she goes too far!
• Jeny :Tightly fitted up to the neck and over-accessorized, and overwhelmed by her adoration for the terrible singer Gino, Jeny walks around listening to her walkman and carrying her flashy notebooks. However, Jeny does not belong to Zoé’s circle of friends because she never stops talking! She speaks about how popular she is and of her “best friends” all day long, but she really doesn’t have any. No one seems to want to be associated with her. Ironically, she has a huge crush in Tony Dingo who happens to be the most unapproachable boys of them all. Jeny is neither bitter, dumb or bent on revenge. She just wants people to pay attention to her.
• Machine:Machine is the coolest baby sitter. Everyone loves her. Every time she picks up Zoé for school, it’s a huge event! She’s totally crazy and knows exactly how to make everyone laugh. She’s always running around and making jokes. She’s a real teen in crisis. Her face is covered with pimples and she wears humongous braces. She dreams of becoming a Hollywood star! One day, she’ll break the piggy-bank and make the big trip! In the meantime, she spends a lot of time scanning audition magazines, hoping to find a role in a commercial, a sitcom or a movie. She even sometimes gets Zoé and Titi to help her rehearse scenes (Cleopatra, Zorro, etc...).
• Dad and Mom: Zoé’s folks are the only symbols of authority (“time for dinner!”, or “get dressed, we’re going to grandma’s!!”). Zoé’s mom is a young, beautiful and gracious woman, fair, open-minded, a bit eccentric, very cool and always smiling. Dad, who loves his wife, is a little bit more down to earth.

Secondary characters

• Titi: Titi, Zoé’s brother, is a little piece of sticky tape
  Adhesive tape
  Adhesive tape is one of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive. Several types of adhesives can be used.-Types:Pressure sensitive tape...
  
   that won’t get off your fingers! He lives his life constantly stuck to Zoé, and making noise all around her, tearing apart her notebooks and chewing on her super-cool pens. He’s Zoé’s worst nightmare in diapers.
• Mr Bonbec: Mr Bonbec sells candy in his colourful boutique. He is the children’s great friend and never hesitates to give out candies, to be comforting and to give advice. The children seek him out like a true sage.
• Miss Lardon: Being so delicate and sentimental, Ms Lardon is easily overwhelmed by her pupils. She also often finds amusing methods for explaining math or science. She loves romantic poetry
  Romantic poetry
  Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
  
   and is easily moved when speaking of love.
• Mrs Glouton: Mariponpon’s mother is a generous woman, in every sense of the word. She seems to create a wonderful living experience for her daughter, probably to compensate for her father’s absence. A true garden of Eden
  Garden of Eden
  The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
  
  , packed full of toys, games, meals, snacks, costumes, etc.

First season

   1 : Baby brother blues

   2 : Game over

   3 : Lola the park pin up

   4 : Splat the gnat

   5 : Bunch of traitors

   6 : Down with beets

   7 : Bronco baby sitter

   8 : Auntie Kissy

   9 : Shoe must go on

  10 : Almost famous

  11 : Spiting image

  12 : Simply the best

  13 : Big time secret

  14 : Crazy for the candy

  15 : Thingee and Thingamajic

  16 : Don’t let me down

  17 : Love birds

  18 : Blur zone

  19 : Night of the wusses

  20 : In with the boys

  21 : So grounded

  22 : No rush

  23 : Copycat

  24 : Whozatgirl

  25 : Lucky charm

  26 : Super powers

Second season

   1 : Zoé to the power of two

   2 : King of the crackpots

   3 : The vanishing

   4 : Queen for a day

   5 : My best enemy

   6 : Starry-eyed

   7 : Inspector Zoé

   8 : Double zero

   9 : Good riddance !

  10 : Boomerang

  11 : Alone at last

  12 : The invisible friend

  13 : Super secret

  14 : A right mix up

  15 : Wanted

  16 : Prepare for take off

  17 : Have a good trip !

  18 : I'm the boss

  19 : The party

  20 : Charge !

  21 : What an embarrassment !

  22 : Super Dad

  23 : Uncle kissy

  24 : Friend for a day

  25 : Valentine superstars

  26 : Princess cosmonaut

Awards

• International Animation Festival « Cartoons on the Bay » 2004: Pulcinella Award for the Best Children Series
• International Animation Festival « Cartoons on the Bay » 2004: Pulcinella Award for the Best Character
• Chicago International Animation Festival 2004 : Second prize for Best Animated Series (adult jury)
• Chicago International Animation Festival 2004 : Excellence certificate (young jury)
• Paris Audiovisual Club 2005 : Laurier of the Best Children Program
• Luchon International Television Festival 2005 : Award of the 8-12 y.o. category
• Nomination at the international Emmy
  Emmy Award
  An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
  
   Awards (New-York
  New York
  New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
  
  ) 2005

Publishing

• Frimousse Publishing :
  • Truc Machin est né !
  • L'anniversaire d'enfer !
  • Lola-Canon-du-Square
  • Valentin mon Amoureux
  • C'est meilleur chez Mariponpon Glouton
  • « Super-Crâneur »,le nouveau de la classe
  • Chez Ginette Couptif
  • Machine, baby-sitter trop super !
  • M. Pipo, Père Noël pour de faux
  • M. et Mme Truc Machin Bidule ont sonné !
  • Mamie Cadeau
  • On embauche Mme Trucmuche
  • Tony Dingo, « le Roi des Barjots » !
  • La Petite Zouris

• Le Sorbier Publishing :
  • Zoé trop zinzin
  • Le Cétoutmoi de Zoé Kézako

Hachette Books has been publishing the series’ episodes as short stories

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 within the collection “Ma Première Bibliothèque Rose”:

• • Moi Zoé, l’amie d’une star
  • J’ai des supers pouvoirs
  • Tony J’ai juste un peu triché
  • J’ai un méga secret
  • C’est moi qui enquête
  • J’ai une copine d’enfer
  • La reine du baby-sitting
  • Je déteste les garçons

Hachette has also published “Zoé’s tricks and tips”, released in August 2008.

Licensing and Merchandising

A line of Zoé Kézako merchandising products (such as dolls, sofas and pillows) is currently being developed with TF1 Licences and SIMBA, to be released in 2009.

External links

The official Zoé Kézako website Zoé on Véronique Sauquère’s website

• Zoé Kézako at Internet Movie Database
  Internet Movie Database
  Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...