Didou (known as Louie in most other countries) is an French animated series, based on a series of books by Yves Got. It was produced by Millimages.
It stars a young rabbit named Didou (or Louie) who along with his best friend Yoko learn how to draw various things (such as animals, objects, and vehicles) while also using them to solve problems the characters are having.
The series premiered in 2006 on France 5 and had 117 shorts and 2 specials. It later aired on CBeebies with a English dub. In 2020, a new series staring Didou premiered called Didou, Construis-Moi! (or Louie & Yoko: Build! in English). Instead of drawing, Didou and Yoko build various things to help out their friends.
Didou provides examples of the following Tropes:
- Animated Adaptation: Based on the books by Yves Got.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Didou's art kit.
- Art Initiates Life: Louie's drawing comes to life/becomes usable once it's completed.
- Book Ends: Pages flipping to a blank page for Louie to provide the instructions to draw the object for the second time seems to imply that the characters' world are inside a sketchbook.
- Butt-Monkey: Yoko.
- Darker and Edgier: The special "Louie and the Rainbow Fairy". It completely ditches out the Fake Interactivity and has a main antagonist: a wizard called Kroodle that has captured the titular Rainbow Fairy in order to turn the world into black via some creatures called the Krockolors and thus must be stopped by Louie and his friends. In the end, Yoko and the Blue Knight, a friend that the duo made in the beginning of the special, are even turned into Krockolors by Kroodle and there's actual tension for Louie to draw a magic wand in a hurry and without explaining the steps used .
- Edutainment Show: The show teaches the viewers basic drawing.
- Edutainment Game: One for the Leapster, and that's not counting the iOS ones.
- Fake Interactivity: As with most educational TV shows for pre-schoolers without a fourth wall, the show comes with a set of "viewers" (credited as The Hot Kool Kids in the English version of the show) that will provide Louie with a reply when he questions the viewers.
- No Antagonist: Well, not all of the creatures drawn by Didou will be coorporative, but the worst they can be are JerkAsses that do little more than disobey Didou. The special "Louie and the Rainbow Fairy", however...
- Reality Warper: Didou
- Speak in Unison: The children voiceovers. They take the whole Fake Interactivity-related chorus of voices thing up to eleven, as they literally say everything in unison no matter how extense their response to Didou turns out to be.
- Title Theme Tune: Draw us a picture, Louie!
- Bragging Theme Tune: And how!
- Expository Theme Tune: I will teach you how/to make a picture now/drawing can be fun/let me show you how it's done
- Viewers Are Goldfish: Instructions on drawing the item is shown twice- one in the middle of the episode once the plot has been set, and again about 30 seconds after completion of the first instructions.