Wolfoo
GenreChildren’s Animation, Comedy
Country of originVietnam
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons17 (16 main, 1 special)
No. of episodes1,378
Production
Running time2-3 minutes
Production companySCONNECT
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseAugust 23, 2018 (2018-08-23) –
present
Related
Bearee

Wolfoo is a Vietnamese YouTube pre-school children’s web series by Sconnect[1] and WOA Entertainment.

It has stirred much criticism on the internet due to its visual similarity to Peppa Pig and copyright infringement by using sound effects and using characters from other intellectual properties, particularly from other children's content. On January 1, 2022, Entertainment One filed a lawsuit against Sconnect at the Moscow City Court (Russia) alleging that Wolfoo's characters are a remake of Peppa Pig’s and violated their copyright. The Center for Forensic Expertise and Research ANO in Russia affirmed that Wolfoo characters set is a unique creation. The creators of Peppa Pig and the show's distributor, Entertainment One, have successfully had over 2,000 infringing episodes of Wolfoo removed from YouTube. Sconnect was also blocked from uploading new videos and ordered to pay £200,000 in legal costs. Additionally, the Russian Trademark Office refused to register the Wolfoo trademark due to its similarity to Peppa Pig. On July 7, Moscow City Court terminated eOne's lawsuit and therefore, eOne would not be able to file similar cases against Sconnect.[2] In August 2022, Sconnect filed a lawsuit looking for compensation for the damage caused by the case. Despite this, Wolfoo has multiple channels under its brand, has been dubbed in several languages, and has even spawned a spin-off show called "Bearee". It is also aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 8.

Synopsis

The show follows Wolfoo, an anthropomorphic of a 5-year-old wolf boy living on a hill in a small American-styled village[3] with his parents and sisters, Lucy and Jenny. Pando and Kat are Wolfoo's best friends.

Broadcast

The first official episode of Wolfoo was published on August 23, 2018. There are currently many channels under the Wolfoo brand. Among these are "Wolfoo America", "Wolfoo's Stories", "Wolfoo Shows", and "Wolfoo - Sing Along Songs". This is similar to a method used by other content farms.

A series of feature-length online films, Wolfoo the Adventurer, were released on YouTube.

Wolfoo is also dubbed in several languages. The voice cast is currently unknown. A spin-off, Bearee, was released on April 16, 2022.

Characters

The characters on Wolfoo are generally anthropomorphic animals, and include:

  • Wolfoo Wolf, the show's titular character, a 5-year-old wolf, who likes to play with his friends and his sister Lucy
  • Lucy Wolf, a 3-year-old wolf, who is Wolfoo's sister, and Mr. and Mrs. Wolf's daughter
  • Grandma Wolf, an elderly wolf who is Wolfoo, Lucy, and Jenny's grandmother
  • Grandpa Wolf, an elderly 80-year-old wolf who is Wolfoo, Lucy, and Jenny's grandfather
  • Jenny Wolf, a 1-year-old wolf who is Wolfoo and Lucy's cousin and Aunt Wolf's daughter
  • Mrs. Wolf, a 35-year-old wolf who is Wolfoo, Lucy, and Jenny's mother
  • Mr. Wolf, a 47-year-old wolf who is Wolfoo, Lucy, and Jenny's father
  • Pando Pan, a 5-year-old panda with an addiction on eating apples, and whose best friend is Wolfoo
  • Pandollar Pan, a 1-year-old panda who is Pando's younger brother and Mr. and Mrs. Pan's daughter
  • Mrs. Pan, a 36-year-old panda who is both Pando and Pandollar's mother
  • Mr. Pan, a 38-year-old panda who is both Pando and Pandollar's father
  • Bearee, a 5-year-old polar bear who is one of Wolfoo's friends. He has his own spin-off show.
  • Katherine 'Kat' Kat, a 5-year-old cat who likes to study, whose best friend is Wolfoo
  • Mrs. Kat, a 45-year-old cat who is a teacher and Kat's mother
  • Dr. Kat, a 54-year-old cat who is Kat's father
  • Kasper, a 3-year-old cat who is Kat's brother and Mr. and Mrs. Kat's son
  • Moly, a 5-year-old mole who likes to dig holes
  • Piggy, a 5-year-old pig, whose best friend is Bufo
  • Nancy, a 3-year-old pig who is Piggy's sister and Mr. and Mrs. Pig's daughter
  • Mrs. Pig, a 37-year-old pig who is Mr. Pig's wife. She raised Piggy on her own after her husband travelled to a different country
  • Mr. Pig, a 38-year-old pig who is Mrs. Pig's husband
  • Bufo, a 5-year-old bison, whose best friend is Piggy
  • Teacher Bull, a 67-year-old bison who is the teacher of Bufo
  • Police Bu,[4] a 58-year-old bison who is Bufo's father
  • Karoo, a 5-year-old kangaroo who likes playing sports
  • Doly, a 5-year-old sheep
  • Amy, a 3-year-old red panda who is Mrs. Red Panda's daughter
  • Croco, a 5-year-old, crocodile who enjoys performing magic tricks.[4]
  • Mr. Croco, a 40-year-old crocodile who is Croco's father
  • Dr. Kirin,[4] a 50-year-old giraffe
  • Mr. Zebra, a 39-year-old zebra who likes building
  • Alien, a 5-year-old extraterrestrial who lives in space and is one of Wolfoo's friends
  • Nurse Deer, a 36-year-old deer who is a nurse
  • Scout Skunk, a 34-year-old skunk who is a badger
  • Rhinoo,[4] a 30-year-old rhinoceros who is a thief
  • Mr. Leopard, a 30-year-old jaguar who is a second thief.

Reception and controversy

Wolfoo has also been criticized for its usage of gross-out humor throughout its run, constantly featuring animated depictions of defecation and or urination by several characters, pregnancy and anthropomorphic organs. It has been accused of copyright infringement by the creators of Peppa Pig, and the show's distributor, Entertainment One, has sued Sconnect for Wolfoo's visual and aesthetic similarity to the show.[5][6][7][8] Entertainment One have successfully requested YouTube to take down the infringing episodes, and over 2,000 videos have been taken down. Sconnect was also blocked from uploading new videos due to their infringing activity, which involves both audio and visual copyright infringement. The UK Court confirmed it is a suitable jurisdiction for the dispute and dismissed Sconnect's complaints. The judge at the preliminary hearing noted that the imagery between Wolfoo and Peppa Pig is "remarkably similar". Sconnect were ordered by the UK Court to pay over £200,000 in legal costs to Entertainment One as a result of the ongoing dispute.

On July 7, 2022, Moscow City Court terminated eOne's lawsuit. eOne would not be able to file similar case again Sconnect. In August 2022, Sconnect filed a lawsuit looking for compensation for the damage caused by the case.

Meanwhile in England, on January 24, 2022, eOne filled a case aganst Sconnect at the High Court of Justice as followed: rework of Peppa Pig characters, using the art style of Peppa Pig, using the exclamation sounds of Peppa Pig in 91 Wolfoo videos; causing unfair competition, causing the misunderstanding that Peppa Pig and Wolfoo share the same owner and violating the trademark of Peppa pig.[9]

Despite that, on December 15, 2022, the Trademark Office of Russia (RUSPTO) refused to register the Wolfoo trademark in Russia, citing the reason that it was confusingly similar to the Peppa Pig trademarks already registered in Russia, and would therefore cause confusion among consumers as to the origin of the trademark.

References

  1. ↑ "Wolfoo is dominating YouTube for kids - HỌC VIỆN ĐÀO TẠO HOẠT HÌNH QUỐC TẾ SCONNECT". Sconnect. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sconnect Media Looks To Protect Wolfoo's Business Rights In The United States". International Business Times. November 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Wolfoo Official Channel". YouTube. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Characters". Wolfoo World. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ Sweney, Mark (January 26, 2022). "Peppa Pig owner sues studio behind Wolfoo YouTube character". The Guardian v. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Yossman, K.J. (January 25, 2022). "'Peppa Pig' Owners eOne Sue Animation Studio Behind 'Wolfoo' YouTube Channel (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Dudok de Wit, Alex (January 26, 2022). "'Peppa Pig' Owner eOne Sues Studio Behind Youtube Channel Wolfoo". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ Weinstein, Max (January 27, 2022). "'Peppa Pig' Owners Target 'Wolfoo' in New Lawsuit". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Sconnect Media May File a Lawsuit in the US to Protect Wolfoo's Business Rights". Bloomberg.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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