| Outline |
BarbapapaBarbapapa is a strange creature born from the garden soil of the house in which François, a French boy, lived. Barbapapa was shunned by people because of his huge body, but he is kind-hearted and can't resist helping someone in need. He was accepted by the people in the town because he used his shapeshifting ability, “Barba trick”, to help humans and animals. He took Barbamama whom he met later as his wife and lived happily, being blessed with 7 children.The story develops with a focus on Barbapapa and his family, and is written in line with the original children’s picture book, being divided into several episodes.The Barba Family builds a new home as the children grow, and deepens exchanges with neighborhood animals and humans. Contact with nature and playing with children are described. In addition, various social problems are sometimes resolved using the “Barba trick” shapeshifting ability.Later, based on Barbapapa mini children picture book, the Barba Family’s story shifted to one complete story per episode, which describes the Barba Family’s home drama through town events and travels.The children’s picture book of this work was first translated into Japanese by a children’s literature author and translator, Haruo Yamashita, and was made into an anime with the same title three times since 1977. The anime is produced by dubbing the original overseas video, and the Japanese original version is used for the music, including the theme song. |
