Wolfoo

Vietnamese preschool animated web series
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Wolfoo
GenreChildren’s Animation, Comedy
Country of originVietnam
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons17 (16 main, 1 special)[citation needed]
No. of episodes1,378[citation needed]
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.

Synopsis

The show follows Wolfoo, an anthropomorphic 5-year-old little male wolf living on a hill in a small American-styled village[2] 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:

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.[4][5][6][7] 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.[8]

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. ^ "Wolfoo Official Channel". YouTube. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Characters". Wolfoo World. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  4. ^ Sweney, Mark (January 26, 2022). "Peppa Pig owner sues studio behind Wolfoo YouTube character". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Weinstein, Max (January 27, 2022). "'Peppa Pig' Owners Target 'Wolfoo' in New Lawsuit". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "Sconnect Media May File a Lawsuit in the US to Protect Wolfoo's Business Rights". Bloomberg.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2023.