Activities Start in France as Xilam Animation Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Flagship Brand OGGY AND THE COCKROACHES

Activity Starting in France this Month Includes the Opening of a Branded Escape Room, Museum Partnerships, Nationwide Truck Tour and More

Award-winning French animation studio, Xilam Animation, is commemorating the 20th anniversary of its flagship brand, Oggy and the Cockroaches, with celebrations kicking off in France this month. The line-up of activity, which was unveiled by Xilam at a press conference in Paris yesterday, includes the opening of a permanent Oggy and the Cockroaches escape room, museum partnerships, a branded truck tour, social media activity and more.

Xilam will open an Oggy and the Cockroaches themed escape room this month in Paris. Based on the show’s fifth season, “Oggy through the Ages”, the fully branded experience will give kids and their families an opportunity to solve a series of puzzles and riddles against the clock.

In addition, Xilam will begin its partnership with Musée des Arts et Métiers (The Museum of Arts & Crafts) in Paris. Young visitors will be able to enjoy animation workshops - the first of which will be run by an artist from Xilam’s studio - and will receive a branded booklet that explains the history of cinema through Oggy’s eyes. There will also be product giveaways and regular broadcasts of a ‘making-of’ Oggy and the Cockroaches film within the museum.

Xilam has also partnered with Part L'Aquarium de Paris (The Paris Aquarium) which will see every child receive an Oggy and the Cockroaches branded booklet with a treasure hunt around the museum, encouraging them to discover the oceans, sea-life and underwater creates with Oggy. The museum will also be decorated with Oggy branding and episodes related to ocean-life will be screened.

Alongside this activity, an Oggy and the Cockroaches branded truck will tour across six French cities from later this month. The transformable truck will visit Lyon, Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Angers and Paris, giving fans the chance to enjoy costume character meet and greets, episode screenings, games, competitions, a colouring wall, workshops and goody bags.

The anniversary celebrations will be supported by PR activity, alongside a media campaign in partnership with the show’s French free-to-air broadcaster, Gulli and national radio station, France Bleu. Tapping into Oggy’s strong social media presence that includes almost 4m global Facebook fans, 2.5m YouTube subscribers and 180k Instagram followers, Xilam will also run an extensive #Oggy20 digital campaign that encompasses user generated content, influencer partnerships and a competition to win a VIP weekend in Paris.

“For two decades, Oggy and the Cockroaches has been entertaining audiences all around the world with its fantastic characters, slapstick humour and surprise-filled storylines” said Marc du Pontavice, Founder and President at Xilam Animation. “After an unprecedented twenty years of non-stop content production in France, Oggy is now one of just a handful of French animation properties to reach its milestone 20th anniversary and, even after all this time, Oggy has never been so popular and commercially successful. We’re delighted to be marking this landmark moment with a hugely exciting activity line-up which ensures there’s something for fans of all ages to enjoy.”

Over the last two decades, Xilam has established a broadcast presence for Oggy in over 190 territories, with exposure buoyed by international SVOD deals with Netflix and Amazon. The show’s seven season (78 x 7’) is now rolling out internationally. To meet consumer demand, Xilam has assembled robust licensing programmes in France, Italy, South East Asia and India.

About Xilam
Xilam is one of Europe’s leading animation companies, creating, producing and distributing original children’s and family entertainment content across TV, film and digital media platforms.

Founded in 1999 by Marc du Pontavice, Xilam owns a catalogue of more than 2,000 animated episodes and three feature films including strong brands such as Oggy & the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko, The Daltons and its first pre-school series, Paprika.

Broadcast in over 190 countries on all the major TV networks and digital platforms, including YouTube with over 300 million video views monthly, Xilam’s programme catalogue makes the company one of the top global content providers in animation.

Xilam employs more than 400 people, including 300 artists, who are based across its four studios located in Paris, Lyon, Angoulême and Ho-Chi-Minh City in Vietnam.