They were born in a Parisian brewery. Fifty-five years later, Barbapapathese multicolored, ecological and metamorphic characters, continue to cross generations and borders, rejuvenated and refreshed by the children of their discreet creators.
“There was already everything in the original books”, Ensures AFP Alice Taylor, daughter of the Franco-American couple formed by Annette Tisondisappeared in 2010, and by Talus Taylordied five years later. Coupling their imaginations, the two artists gave life to a series that has become essential for youth.
Eight million copies sold in France
Since the creation of the first adventures of Barbapapa, Barbamama and their seven Barbabébés in 1970, eight million pounds have sold in France, for nearly 80 titles. Translated in more than 30 languages, the series continues, to date, to flow to a million copies each year in the world, according to the books of the Golden Dragon, its publisher since 2003.
Adapted to the screen in 1974 on the ORTF, escorted by a cult generic, albums have continued to be declined, since 2019, in a new series. Entitled Family barbapapait is among the five most popular cartoons in TF1 and is broadcast in a hundred countries via the Nickelodeon JR channel. Boosted by a Tiktok trend, the “barbatrend”, which consists in adding “barba” in front of words, the little heroes in the shape of a pear and keel even aroused more than 15 million online publications in 2025.
A pioneer family of ecology
In the new series, the “HUP HUP HUP Barbatruc”, which announced the arrival of a transformation, and the singer’s voice Ricet Barrier have disappeared. But remains the fundamental values of mutual aid of this precursor family in terms of ecology, addressing both the relationship to screens and the dangers of green algae.
Already in 1974, in the album The ark (The Leisure School), the Barbapapa were represented saving animals victims of pollution or hunted down by humans and fleeing from another planet. “It feels like they are talking about today, it’s crazy”, Notes Alice Taylor, who writes and realizes with her brother, Thomas, the new episodes produced by the normal tricolor studio.
But what about the original creators of the series? Very discreet and little present in the media, they ultimately left little limited documentation. “They estimated, and I am not far from sharing their opinion, that it is their work that speaks for them”explains Alice Taylor.
Discreet creators
Nevertheless, some information gives, at least, an idea of their meeting, until the creation of the Barbapapa. Before that, a former math teacher, Taylor embank “Many traveled” et “Full of things”, Until her meeting with Annette Tison, an architect by training in the course “More linear”.
The couple are used to meeting at Zeyer, a Parisian brewery, with other students when the first sketches of this “Species of animal that changes shape”. “It happened around the years 1968 because my father found it funny to go to the zozo to watch the students on the barricades”says Alice Taylor. “He couldn’t follow because his Frenchman was not good and he drew nonsense on the towel,” adds the fifties.
As for the name of the character, he takes shape when, during a walk, embankment Toy and Annette Tison discover the word “Barpapa” from children demanding these sweets. There follows a first album, translated into “English, Dutch, Japanese”, before to go around the world. Shortly after, the animated series experienced two seasons, one in 1974 and then in 1977, before a new version appeared in Japan in 1999.
A series in inheritance
In France, TF1 manages the brand and derived products since the early 2000s. Alice and Thomas Taylor, both trained in architecture, took over about fifteen years later, first with the writing of their first books Barbapapa, Then with that of a new cartoon, for which certain scripts signed by their mother served as the basis.
While Thomas Taylor, who lives abroad, takes care of the scenarios, Alice is more “Graphic side” – Proportions of the characters, sets, transformations “extremely funny to do”. A legacy that this graduate of the animation section of the ENSAD (decorative arts), invited to “Storage” In the family business at the turn of the 21st century, did not necessarily consider: “The company was created by my mother for the management of derivative rights and after a while, she said to me:” I leave you the keys, hi! ” »»
