“The Simpsons” has just celebrated 20 years on the air, and it’s not only U.S. viewers who have felt the impact of the groundbreaking cartoon. Its mix of social satire and slapstick has made deep inroads into the former communist bloc.
Last week, the “New York Times” blog The Lede featured an ad for an Estonian evening news show that sets “The Simpsons” in rural Estonia.
Georgian producers have gone a step further: “The Guardian” website features a clip of a homegrown animated show from the Caucasus country called “The Samsonadzes.”
Creator Shalva Ramishvili insists that “this is all about a Georgian family, with Georgian jokes, a Georgian plot, Georgian developments, and Georgian social humor.” Still, it’s proof that the original model of clever criticism cloaked in the antics of a dysfunctional yellow family has carried far and wide.
-- Margot Buff
Last week, the “New York Times” blog The Lede featured an ad for an Estonian evening news show that sets “The Simpsons” in rural Estonia.
Georgian producers have gone a step further: “The Guardian” website features a clip of a homegrown animated show from the Caucasus country called “The Samsonadzes.”
Creator Shalva Ramishvili insists that “this is all about a Georgian family, with Georgian jokes, a Georgian plot, Georgian developments, and Georgian social humor.” Still, it’s proof that the original model of clever criticism cloaked in the antics of a dysfunctional yellow family has carried far and wide.
-- Margot Buff