This is a page I created some time ago on the animated films, Chapi Chapo, that I’m porting into WordPress as an entry.
"Chapi Chapo patapo, Chapo Chapi patapi…"
Chapi Chapo is an animated series that was first created for French television in 1974. It was produced by Stefano Lonati and Italo Bettiol with wonderful music by François De Roubaix. The series consisted of sixty 5 minute episodes. I first watched them on Pinwheel which aired on Nickelodeon in the 1980’s. They were really fun and sweet. Chapi (the little girl in red) and Chapo (the boy in blue) would skate around a magical world made of blocks where they would have interactions with other cute characters including a green toy hippo. The best thing about Chapi Chapo, in my opinion, is the music by François De Roubaix. He wrote a number of scores for French cinema including the score for Le Samourai, but he is also well known for the theme of Chapi Chapo. I get this song in my head all the time. It’s infectious. You really need to listen to it. I think it would make really great driving music!
Images (click thumbnails to get larger picture)
Check out The Sheet Music by François De Roubaix
Downloads
(to ensure that everything works correctly, on the links that say ‘download’ right-click them and choose to ‘save target as’ or choose ‘save link as’ instead of just clicking them.)
Chapi Chapo Audio Files
- Chapi Chapo Theme Song (mp3): stream | download
- Another Chapi Chapo song: Multicolor Cubes (mp3): stream | download
- Chapi Chapo bass line (good on repeat) (mp3): stream | download
- Chanson de Chapi Chapo (Real Audio): stream | download
Chapi Chapo Video Clips
Chapi Chapo Links
- Émissions de notre enfance (shows of our childhood): Good page in french for Chapi Chapo and other French cartoons.
- Another good Chapi Chapo site in French
I love this. Im a big Chapi Chapo fan too and watched it when it first was aired on Dutch TV in the 1970’s. It is great to hear the music again, it still makes me feel as happy as it did when I was a kid.
I’ve been humming that pleasant little tune in my head for more than twenty years now. I only vaguely remember it from pinwheel in the early eighties. I too am just as happy as I was the first time I heard it so long ago.
I remember this precious duo from Pinwheel. I too have hummed this delightful tune for years. It was such a sweet little show and left you feeling so happy and cheerful……I’ll love still love it when I’m in my eighties!
I haven’t seen or heard anything about these sketches in at least eighteen years. Descriptions and my approximation of the song drew blank stares from friends. I’ve found it at last. Thank you!
Oh my gosh! This theme song has haunted me (in a good way :) for 24 years! I can’t believe how great this website is. I woke my friend up this morning to play the music and she freaked out! We both loved wathcing the show and could only sing the first few bars – poorly. Thank you so much for keeping Chapi Chapo alive into the 2000’s…cheers to the internet and to you.
My memories of all the cartoon and animated shorts from Pinwheel are precious! Chapi Chapo is no exception! I know I was astonished to see and hear them again yesterday! Takes me all the way back inside to my inner child. At 32 today I was fortunate to catch the origination of Nickelodeon in early 1980’s. This nostalgic voyage down memory lane is much appreciated. Thank you! :)
Lovely! At last I found something about this cartoon from internet. Theme song has played in my head since I was a kid. This animation was known in Finland by name “Hattuset” (meaning two small hats) and it was a smash hit among kids my age and many adults also. Brilliant site!
Ah merci pour ce cadeau !! Il n’y a plus de website pour Chapi Chapo.
Je constate que quel que soit l’âge, il reste facile de se laisser embarquer dans le monde minimaliste et truculent de Chapi Chapo. Soit nous avons gardé un coeur d’enfant soit il y a un réel génie dans ce show. Yay !! This is genius.
Un régal, merci. Ca a vraiment bercé mon enfance.
Oh my gosh! I was so excited when my sister called me to tell me that she had found this great information about Chapi Chapo! We religiously watched Pinwheel on Nickelodeon in the early 80s, and Chapi Chapo was our favorite! We have been singing the first part of the song for over twenty years, and couldn’t quite remember the name of the little skit(we were thinking it was Chari Charo). Thanks for having this great info about the adorable little series! It makes me so happy to hear that familiar music again… :)
Obrigado por este momento fantastico!
I’ve spent the entire afternoon listening to this music. I haven’t heard these songs in over 20 years and now it seems just like yesterday.
My sister and I watched Pinwheel every morning during the summers of the early 80’s. I’ve already downloaded the songs and played them to her. I wish all this classic stuff from those days wouldn’t be so hard to find. Don’t they know how priceless this stuff is to those who have so many precious memories of their childhood? Sometimes nostalgia will make you buy something more than anything else!
I’m so pleased that I’m not alone after reading all the comments written above.
I just shed a little tear of joy for Chapi Chapo. Hearing the music and seeing the clips again made me feel as if I were 5-years-old again! Life was so much simpler then, and I am happy that I was able to relive some of it with this site! Wonderful! I saw these little people on Pinwheel in the 1980s, and some of my finest memories of childhood were from that show.
I am thrilled to find this. All of my childhood memories are rushing back. I can’t wait to show this to my sister!
Thanks so much!
I think for most Americans, Pinwheel was perhaps the only way any of these Euro classics ever made their way across the ocean. “Chapi Chapo” was one of those I knew too well, but I hardly knew it’s orgins until I found out in the later part of the 90’s (as usual, cruising around the net and discovering it from a French cartoon site).
The two characters awfully came off reminding me of what my twin brother and sister (a year younger than me) looked when they were 5 years old. :)
We all watched those films dearly, though it’s rather a shame no North American distributor hasn’t bothered to see about releaseing these on DVD or air them on TV someplace. I see the French versio of Boomerang does air this along with one other fav of mine, “La Linea” (created by Osvaldo Cavandoli), which also got seen in the US, care of a syndicated children’s program, “The Great Space Coaster”.
Pinwheel also carried many other films that have since became obscure in later years from the UK, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Japan and elsewhere. Other favs that were seen on Pinwheel include Filmfair’s “Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings” and “Paddington Bear” (stop-motion), Kratky Film Praha’s “Krtek” (the little mole, created by Zdenek Miler), Zagreb Film’s “Professor Balthazar”, and many others. Some of these titles have found DVD releases in later years like “Bagpuss” (a stop-motion series of a plush cat that was aired on the BBC as well as seeing a viewing on Pinwheel), but more would be nice, especially in the US that tends to be rather closed-minded on most foreign productions.
My babyboy loves it as i did when i was young…still do
Can anyone tell me where I can find tapes or other Chapi Chapo items in the U.S.? My partner is a HUGE fan. Thanks. [email protected]
Christmas gift:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chapi+chapo&search=Search
Many videos on youtube…. you’re welcome ;-)
I am French and very happy to see what was my childness. Thanks to be so good. What a pleasure.
Hello Chapi Chapo fans! We’ve just started a new website which will webcast different episodes of Chapi Chapo every week. Its really intended for children, but all are welcome! http://www.bunnyears.tv
hope to see you there!
I was furiously digging around the Net for any mention of this show and its charming theme music. Thanks for a wonderful step back time. I’d like to say I was under 10 when it aired on Pinwheel, but …
This takes me to such a wonderful place. I would watch pinwheel habitually and Chapi Chapo was definitely one of my favorites. The happiness that exudes from the music and twins is something I can never forget. This cartoon is what attracted me to French culture. Merci, Merci!
thank you so much for posting this!!! i, too, enjoyed the trip down memory lane… but, does anyone know where i can find full episodes of pinwheel? i am desperately trying to find them!!! please e-mail me at [email protected] if so!!! i cannot feel complete in my trip w/o the full experience!!! thanks…
I love this site! Thank you so much for putting together all of this information!!!! I just printed out the sheet music for the theme song – I can’t wait to play it on the piano!
All the beautiful moments from childhood have hit me all at once….ah….sweet, bittersweet nostalgia….
Loved the comments….!
This is nice animated story. i like Chapi Chapo patapo very much.
Great post, I concur completely and appreciate the time you took to write it. Cheers!
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