As there is no paper around him, Guillermo García Carsí (Madrid, 51 years old) from Madrid makes a drawing on the back of his hand. A small space between the thumb and index finger. He does this, he says, all the time: when he talks on the phone, when an idea occurs to him, and during the interview. Draw something that seems simple, but that could be the beginning of everything: “The drawing must convey an emotion”, he explains, “a curious child, for example. And although it wasn’t on his skin, more than 20 years ago he drew something that represented the idea of that curious child. He ended up being called Pocoióthe children’s series that has just premiered its sixth season, with the return of García Carsí as writer and director.
Pocoió returns with a collection of changes that completely renew this famous series without betraying its essence. “Now he talks more”, explains García Carsí to EL PAÍS, “this is already a huge change”. The sixth season raises the audience’s age range – normally aimed at children between three and five years old – and opts for longer episodes, up to 12-minute double episodes, which allow for the development of small adventures. Now the protagonists travel to other places: planets, clouds or imaginary worlds. New secondary characters and a main character are added to this universe: Bea, Pocoyo’s sister. “We did what is not normally done, changing a series so much, but the challenge attracted me”, says the creator. “I had to explore the full potential beyond minimalist comedy.”
The basis of everything was The pink panther. It was what he liked most as a child, remembers García Carsí, and it is what he tried all this time, “something fun and very minimalist”. Mainly the latter: a blank canvas where the story takes place. “Because you don’t have a context, just like when you’re little, you can focus on the characters and what’s going on.” It was also marked by classic Warner and The crystal ballthe Spanish series of animated dolls in frames that, without knowing it at the time, would become one of the visual bases of the project. “All of that stuck with me,” he says. When years later he wanted to create a character, he returned to these references. “I liked things that stayed good over time. Pocoió “It comes from that: from trying to do something that I would have liked to see as a child,” he reflects at the Illusorium studios in Madrid, where much of the series is animated.
Each chapter is born from a balance between fantasy and emotion. “You have to have these two things,” he explains. On the one hand, the crazy or fun premise – a kind of Godzilla called Priszilla who is sad because there is nothing to destroy or a Duck in an existential crisis – and on the other, the exciting story that gives meaning to the adventure. “The fantasy part can be anything, but I always look for the emotion behind it. In Priszilla’s case, her friends help her make her dream come true. Pato discovers that he doesn’t need to be normal, that the important thing is to be unique.” This combination, he emphasizes, is what transforms a comic anecdote into a story with soul.
This emotional quest is what sustains the universal values that have permeated the series since the beginning. “The themes don’t change: selfishness, friendship, learning to share,” says García Carsí. In one chapter, Pato refuses to share Pocoyo with others, until a giant repeats the same mistake and locks him in a cage. There he understands what it means to own. “These are non-academic teachings”, he explains, “not about numbers or letters, but about how to live with others”. For him, success Pocoió It lies in the fact that these values are recognizable by everyone. “It’s universal humor, like Chaplin: something that a child, a parent and a grandmother can enjoy. In fact, we presented it like this (20 years ago): Chaplin for children. It’s silent cinema.”
“There is a tradition there”, says García Carsí, who discovered it over time: “Pocoyó and Pato are archetypes of clown classic: the crazy clown and the serious clown, respectively, the irrational part and the rational part.” This duality, he says, has existed since the beginning of time and runs through the entire history of humor. “I wasn’t aware of it when I created them, but they work because they represent those opposites that always complement each other.” Dressed in blue from head to toe, Pocoyo stands out for his enthusiasm and energy that ends up winning over the rest of the characters – Elly, Loula, Pajaroto, Octopus, Nina, among others – on adventures exciting, while Pato, bright yellow, with elongated eyes and accompanied by his unmistakable green hat, tends to be more cautious.
In a world saturated with screens, García Carsí sees the biggest challenge in keeping the emotional connection alive. “You need to find a very crazy and attractive premise, but also a universal theme that brings the characters to life,” he says. The pace may vary, but the key is to tell a good, honest and entertaining story. He believes children’s series should aspire to be enjoyed by everyone, not just children. “I thought that way from the beginning,” he explains. “Like that Chaplin exhibition I saw: very different people laughing at the same thing. That’s what I try to do, something that I like and that everyone can like.” A curious child, for example, who doesn’t age.
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