{"id":31867,"date":"2020-03-10T05:30:08","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T04:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=31867"},"modified":"2020-03-08T19:43:51","modified_gmt":"2020-03-08T18:43:51","slug":"french-culture-les-barbapapas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/french-culture-les-barbapapas\/","title":{"rendered":"French Culture – Les Barbapapas"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was a kid, I used to watch a lot of television<\/a>. Even with a much smaller number of channels to choose from, I enjoyed discovering new and interesting programs. One that I enjoyed had a very French beginning, though I didn’t know it at the time.<\/p>\n

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Les Barbapapas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps I already had\u00a0une \u00e2me fran\u00e7aise <\/strong>(a French soul)<\/em> or maybe the show spoke to some hidden\u00a0love of the surreal, but from the beginning, I was charmed by this odd story of amorphous, shape shifting creatures and their adventures.<\/p>\n

Translated into more than 30 languages, these creations of a Franco-American couple, the Barbapapas have appeared in numerous livres<\/strong> (books)<\/em> and cartoons. Their humorous name comes from the French for cotton candy<\/em>1<\/a><\/sup>also known as cotton floss and fairy floss in the English speaking world<\/span>, la barbe<\/a> \u00e0 papa<\/strong> (lit. daddy’s beard<\/em>). The colorful<\/a> family, along with their human friends, got up to many adventures … which always involved them using their capacit\u00e9 de changer de forme \u00e0 volont\u00e9\u00a0<\/strong>(ability to change shape at will)<\/em> to resolve any problems.<\/p>\n

You can watch the first episode of this fun\u00a0dessin anim\u00e9\u00a0<\/strong>here on YouTube<\/a>2<\/a><\/sup>For some reason the video refuses to embed in the post! Sorry for the inconvenience.<\/span> For a review of useful weather-related vocabulary, check out this post<\/a>. The first part of the video will help you practice!<\/p>\n

N\u00e9 un jour dans le jardin de Claudine et Fran\u00e7ois, le p\u00e8re, Barbapapa, est rose … comme la barbe \u00e0 papa!<\/strong> \/ Born one day in Claudine and Fran\u00e7ois’s garden, <\/em>the father, Barbapapa, is pink … like cotton candy.
\n<\/em>La m\u00e8re, Barbamama, est noire.<\/strong> \/ The mother, Barbamama, is black.<\/em>3<\/a><\/sup>Barbamama and their many children do not appear until later episodes!<\/span><\/p>\n

With their simplified storylines and repetitive vocabulary, children’s books, cartoons, and films can be a great resource for language learners. Other famous options include Babar l’El\u00e9phant<\/a> (Babar the Elephant<\/a>), and Les Schtroumpfs<\/a> (The Smurfs<\/a>). If you’re looking for something to put yourself in a French frame of mind without the actual French, check out the wonderful Madeline series<\/a> of books and cartoons<\/a>. <\/div>\n

Acthttps:\/\/youtu.be\/AB_MrvMK_Owualit\u00e9s<\/strong><\/p>\n

And finally, a quick update on some previous news.<\/p>\n

Les cadenas d’amour<\/strong><\/a> that once covered Parisian landmarks like the Pont des Arts have found a new home! After the municipality tooks drastic measures to prevent more of the charming-but-damage-causing padlocks from appearing around the city, a Franco-American artist has created a work of art<\/a> that will grace the cour<\/strong> (courtyard) <\/em>of the Palais Royal for a few weeks this spring.<\/p>\n

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Photo by\u00a0Genaro Serv\u00edn<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from\u00a0Pexels<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n