Oobi: Dasdasi

Oobi: Dasdasi (Persian: دس دسی صداش می آد‎; English translation: Dasdasi: Clapping Hands) is an Iranian children's television series created for channel IRIB TV2. It is an adaptation and spin-off of the American series Oobi. It was produced by Negar Estakhr and directed by Amir Soltan Ahmadi, two puppeteers who also starred on the program. The show featured performers Bahador Maleki, Banafsheh Samadi, and Isa Yousefipour.

Oobi: Dasdasi
The puppet characters in their costumes
Also known asDasdasi
Persianدس دسی صداش می آد
Genre
Based onOobi
by Josh Selig
Developed byNegar Estakhr
Directed byAmir Soltan Ahmadi
Starring
ComposerAmirali Razaghi
Country of originIran
Original languagePersian
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes78
Production
ProducerNegar Estakhr
Production locationsTehran, Iran
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time8 minutes
Production companyIslamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
Distributor
Release
Original networkIRIB TV2
Picture formatNTSC (480i)
Audio formatStereo
Original release22 September (2012-09-22) –
20 December 2012 (2012-12-20)
Chronology
Preceded byOobi
External links
Website

Like on Oobi, the series follows a family of characters represented by bare-hand puppets. The American prop makers for Oobi supplied the puppet costumes, which are identical to those of the original show. Oobi: Dasdasi introduced new characters and locations, some of which highlight elements of Iranian culture. The stories have a heavy emphasis on comedy and typically follow the children of the family as they discover something new.

A total of 78 eight-minute episodes were made for the first season. They aired from 22 September to 20 December 2012, with six new segments premiering every week for three months. A second season was confirmed in a 2012 interview with the creators, but it did not play in Iran. In July 2013, the series was sold to international markets in Southeast Asia and Japan, becoming one of IRIB's first children's shows to air outside of Iran.

Plot
See also: Oobi characters

The main characters are a family of five: a boy and a girl, their parents, and their grandfather.[3] The kids are mischievous and like to play tricks on their parents and each other; they are impressionable, easily amused, and known for frequently daydreaming. However, they are also genuinely curious about the world. They often ask their parents about science topics, like perception and the four seasons. Other times, they are interested in sillier things, like how to buy ice cream or play a mimicking game. No matter the episode's topic, the kids always learn about it in an awkward and humorous way.

The stories are eight minutes each with two or three intermissions. The intermissions are transition scenes in which a duo of puppets, called the Palms, have short adventures that relate to the episode's topic.[4] They are sometimes joined by their friend Finger.

Cast

Production and broadcast

Negar Estakhr produced the series and Amir Soltan Ahmadi directed it.[5] After the two watched a screening of the original Oobi in 2011, Estakhr pitched the idea of an Iranian version to IRIB TV2;[6] her pitch focused on how Oobi had been successful with audiences in America and other international markets.[7] IRIB told them to move forward with the show and the production team arranged sets and props. The American makers of acrylic eyes and hand-sized clothing from Oobi supplied the show with puppet costumes identical to those used on the American show. The Iranian crew added distinctive clothing, like Arab garments for the adult characters, to localize the puppet costumes.

Estakhr and Ahmadi hired veteran puppeteers from Kolah Ghermezi, one of Iran's longest-running puppet series.[8] They cast male puppeteers with wide hands for the father and grandfather puppets, and female puppeteers with small hands for the children and women puppets.[7] After assembling the cast, the actors held an impromptu photo shoot with their hand puppets to develop an understanding of their characters. Amirali Razaghi was hired to produce the show's music; he is a film score composer who previously worked as a music teacher at the Tehran University of Art.[9]

The five main characters are represented by bare-hand puppets with eyes and accessories. The Palms characters are represented by upright hands with faces on the palms. The Finger character is represented by a male little finger with a brown wig.

The series was first announced in January 2012 when IRIB added it to the upcoming series section of its website.[10] During filming, the writers worked closely with a think tank of IRIB staff members who ensured that each episode included the right blend of family-friendly humor.[6] Production started on 21 May 2012 and ended on 20 September.[11]

The first episode aired on 22 September.[11] From then until 20 December, a new episode premiered once per day from Saturday to Thursday each week.[12] Premieres were aired at 10:00 am, with an encore at 5:30 pm. Episodes were not broadcast on Fridays because Friday is a non-working day in Iran and the IRIB's children's block does not run. Reruns have continued to air in these time slots, but they are no longer played every weekday.

In July 2013, the series was screened and pitched to international broadcasters at a conference held by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.[13] The Japanese station NHK obtained distribution rights for the series in Japan.[13] It also aired in several Southeast Asian territories: Kuwait, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.[14][15]

Second season

A second season entered development after the first. In an interview from December 2012, Estakhr confirmed that a second season was being made.[6] The writers planned to introduce outdoor locations, namely a village and a forest, in addition to a cast of animal characters. The animals would be portrayed similarly to hand-shadow puppets.[6] Season two would follow the family as the kids entered kindergarten, the family planted a garden, and the family learned about the water cycle.[7] The season was never officially cancelled and it is possible that it finished production and aired outside of Iran.

References
  1. "Negar Estakhr on the budgets of children's programs". Cinemakhabar (in Persian). 15 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013.
  2. "Dasdasi succeeds at a meeting of ABU". SNN.ir (in Persian). 9 July 2013.
  3. "Dasdasi: Clapping Hands to bow on Channel 2". BlogFa: TVIrani. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  4. "Dasdasi: The Copycats". Vimeo. 2012.
  5. "Television is influential in the boom of children's cinema". Young Journalists Club (in Persian). 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  6. "An interview with the producer of Dasdasi". Jaam-e Jam (in Persian). 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 14 December 2012.
  7. "Hands and silence". Tebyan (in Persian). 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013.
  8. "Dasdasi in collaboration with Kolah Ghermezi". Kolah Ghermezi Blog. 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  9. Razaghi, Amirali (2013). "Animation & Children - Amirali Razaghi". Archived from the original on 9 September 2013.
  10. "IRIB's Upcoming Series". IRIB TV2. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012.
  11. "Dasdasi: Clapping Hands - IRIB TV2". IRIB TV2 (in Persian). Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012.
  12. "IRIB TV2 Children's Schedule". IRIB TV2 (in Persian). Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. 27 October 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012.
  13. ""Dasdasi" wins at ABU conference". Magiran (in Persian). 9 July 2013.
  14. "Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union desires to play Dasdasi". Iranian Students News Agency (in Persian). 8 July 2013.
  15. "See Dasdasi submission at the ABU conference". Banifilm (in Persian). 9 July 2013.
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