Huston We Have a Problem.
For starters can I just say that this Zoozoo “Poke your friends on Facebook” still cracks me up? (Especially when one of them gets poked in the eye.) Hilarious, but moving on. So just as I was about to post another rave about the Zoozoos I got this comment on my blog…
Of course I had to investigate and sure enough if you hunt for either of those numbers on fotolia or “3D Human” you get a selection of little white faced folks who appear to be engaged in very “Zoozoo like” activities. Having said that it’s pretty much what a-day-in-the-life-of any cutsey character (Zoo-lander or otherwise) might be like. I mean what were you expecting? Dressed up giraffes in the costumes performing while lying on their backs?! (Thanks vuuvuu.)
The Zoozoos simply appear to be the cone headed (or if you prefer egg-headed) cousins of these little faceless dudes. Now if you’re not willing to accept that “great minds think alike” and feel like this just a little too much of a coincidence or perhaps more like a case of good ‘ol Indian “inspiration” then fine. But you gotta hand it to them, they’ve even captured the hearts and minds of those who remain stoically indifferent to cricket (like myself, for instance) and make it impossible not to watch as the next in the series reveals itself.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP7JeVDwQi4]
I love that this one takes you back through the scenes of previous Zoozoo commercials subtly creating a little world we never knew existed. (Oh which reminds me, read Tom Holt’s “Little People” and while you’re at it “Snow White and the Seven Samurai” and we’ll talk!)
And if that’s not good enough, lets go to the blogging conscience of the Indian media. Quick Amitabh Nanda tell us whattothink!
(P.S. The desi’s will get the irony in the fact the website is called “fotolia” Haan, photo liya, liya to liya, kya bura kiya?!)
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May 12th, 2009 at 1:28 am
i guess since i don’t live in india, i didn’t really get this whole zoozoo thing when i read about it earlier on your blog. but after seeing the originals, i have to say that i find the roundheaded zoozoos cuter than the second generation.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Yup totally agree with you!
May 12th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Not a lift for sure, It could be a coincidence, but the zoozoo is funnier in design.
the similarity is white human shaped bodies, which can come out from various stuff we’ve grown up with for eg. casper. Besides that the character of both are completely different, fotolia seems very serious and business like, whereas zoozoos are born comedians. i think we should respect a good idea for what it is and not look for faults.
May 12th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
The zoozoos are cute in their own way. The body language, the sound effects, the editing…almost everything adds to the effect. It is not right to say that they are “copied” or are “inspired” because even if these images were used as a “reference” the final result is far superior and way more enjoyable to look at!
May 12th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I would like to bring a word to the notice of all the people who are accusing the zoozoo campaign of being copied. It is called ‘Referencing’. And the thought of using the character and create a world of their own is really different from the character itself.
May 12th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Fair enough, looks like most people agree that referencing is fine. Don’t get me wrong I really love the Zoozoos I just thought it was interesting that the Fotolia 3D humans had a distinct resemblance to them (like the ones on the stretcher especially) so I wonder if any/how many of the situations were inspired from those? :)
May 12th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
[...] originality? How original! My favourite (and perhaps only) fan, the wonderful Miss Malini has raised the burdensome issue of originality and its place in the Indian advertising industry, demanding an indignant response from the [...]
May 12th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
You want originality? How original!
http://tinyurl.com/one3pn
May 13th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
unbelievably farfetched connection… to think they gavc the zoozoos arms, legs, heads, eyes and made them do ordinary human things… perhaps they should have dressed giraffes in the costumes and only let them perform while lying on their backs
May 14th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Vuuvuu now THAT would be kinda cool :)