Spinoffs Proving a Success for French Animation Producer Xilam

French animation group Xilam continues to book sales of hit toon series while enticing buyers with new offshoots of flagship properties.

Xilam’s most popular shows remain “Oggy and the Cockroaches,” about a lazy cat who is constantly pestered by three roaches, and “Zig & Sharko,” which follow the adversarial relationship between a ravenous brown hyena and a good-natured great white shark.

The company’s highlights at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous TV market in Biarritz include two new “Oggy” shows.

“’Oggy’ has been on the market for almost 25 years,” explains Morgann Favennec, Xilam’s executive vice president of distribution. “It’s been broadcast everywhere. It’s still huge in India, for instance, which is why we will be launching a new Oggy called ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation,’ introducing a new character, which is an Indian elephant.”

Xilam has also focused largely on another “Oggy” title over the past year, the preschool spinoff “Oggy Oggy.”

Netflix commissioned both new “Oggy” series with first window rights and the shows are now on offer for second window sales.

Xilam has just closed a deal for “Oggy Oggy” with Channel 5 preschool block Milkshake! in the U.K. on top of previous sales to Super RTL in Germany, Frisbee in Italy, RTS in Switzerland and others worldwide, Favennec said.

The company has also been busy with “Tangranimals,” a preschool show produced by Xilam studio Cube Creative, recently selling it to Warner Discovery’s Cartoonito in Southeast Asia; Bein Media Group’s BeJunior in West Asia; Youku in China and other European outlets.

Likewise produced by Cube Creative is “Pfffirates,” about a group of kids learning piracy, or “Pfffiracy,” on the island of Calypso with a legendary captain on the island of Calypso, where they train in sailing, cannon firing and waylaying enemy ships while also taking part in treasure hunting competitions.

The show was nabbed by CBeebies in the U.K., Star in Greece, Spain’s Catalan channel TV3; ABC in Australia and U.A.E. kids’channel E-Junior and Saudi outlet MBC for West Asia.

Xilam is also presenting Season 2 of “Mr Magoo” and launching “The Adventures of Bernie,” a spinoff of “Zig & Sharko” focusing on Bernie, a hermit crab and Zig’s best pal. The series of mini episodes should help keep fans entertained until the new season of “Zig & Sharko” arrives.