YMMV / Oggy and the Cockroaches

• Adorkable: Oggy can be this, sometimes. One example is an episode where he bursts onto a stage with people applauding him, and gets so excited he does a little dance. However, he bursts into tears when he realizes the whole thing was an illusion created by the Ghost-Cockroaches.
• Americans Hate Tingle: Despite otherwise being successful, the show was never able to crack the American market, at least on TV— Fox Kids aired it in the late 90s (having also aired several other Gaumont/Xilam shows), moving it to then-sister network Fox Family shortly after; it faded into obscurity until Nickelodeon got the rights in 2015. However, it ended up attracting controversy thanks to the image of a topless woman in one episode. Therefore, Nick quickly shunted it over to sister network Nicktoons until their rights expired.^note The show was formerly on Netflix until 2022, but it's on Tubi now.
• Angst? What Angst?: Possibly intentional but in "Oggy Goes Snailing", Oggy experiences this. He learns he ate some of his beloved pet snails, that all of them were killed and cooked, and saw all their empty shells piled up outside his window. He gets over all this fairly quickly when he finds a limpet attached to him and takes it in.
• Awesome Music: Despite being utterly divisive at best, the soundtrack by Vincent Artaud (for the movie, and season 5 and onwards) is admittedly awesome and packed to the brim with epicness. The whole soundtrack for the movie is now available on Spotify, so you can enjoy it yourself.
• Broken Base:
  • Season 6 has been rather divisive. Some fans love watching the classic episodes being remastered (also either for the opinion that they thought the classic episodes were bad in some way). Others, however, think that the writers have run out of ideas for new episodes and decided that simply remastering the old episodes is good enough^note despite that the fifth and sixth seasons were released simultaneously.
  • People either side with Oggy (and Jack), the cockroaches, or go for both. Or just not bother rooting for any of them.
  • Oggy's frequent victories in the fifth season against the cockroaches. Is it good for Oggy considering the absolute hell he went through, not really a big deal, or do the roaches deserve to win more than they had?
  • The soundtrack provided by Vincent Artaud from Season 5 and onwards. While many find it almost as enjoyable and catchy as the original by Hugues Lebars (Seasons 1 to 4) and Hervé Levandier (Season 1 to 2), others may find it ear-piecing due to the repetitive sounds and overly fast-paced tune, or because it offers poor renditions of the original themes.
• Common Knowledge: Many people believe the cockroaches are brothers, despite no official sources stating that and them actually being Ambiguously Related.
• Draco in Leather Pants:
  • Despite her being an insect with little to no redeeming qualities, some fans give Lady K this treatment. Especially those who ship her with Joey, as they generally seem to view her as a genuinely caring girlfriend.
  • A few people tone down the cockroaches' (particularly Dee Dee and Marky's) villainies. Although they all have redeeming qualities, they're also a Terrible Trio who often torment others for petty vengeance or fun. Additionally, the episode "Fake News" gives Joey and Marky this In-Universe; the former manipulated the public into thinking they aren't evil.
• Fan Nickname: Originally the wiki gave every unnamed character a nickname. For example, Oggy's girlfriend in "Jealousy" and "The Joker Joked"^note though she didn't appear in the latter's remastering, "Abracadabra", as Olivia replaced her is called Terra, and the cockroaches' cousin is referred to as Elvis; even the horse from "Horse Ride" has a nickname^namelyAustralia!
• Fashion-Victim Villain: The cockroaches look ridiculous in their costumes in "Invincible". Joey wears purple gloves, a mask of the same color, a yellow cape, and a green bodysuit with a yellow star. Marky sports yellow gloves, a red cape held by a golden coin with a "M" on it, and a blue cap with a red tuft of fake hair. Dee Dee has a fake goatee, a pink cape, a fake mustache, and a red body suit with a cartoon character smirking. Also, all of them are clearly wearing underwear outside their clothing.
• First Installment Wins:
  • To the Indian fanbase, the Nick Hindi dub is the best for them due to having more passion and feeling compared to the Cartoon Network and Sony Yay dubs.
  • The first three seasons are usually regarded as the better ones due to how surreal the humor can get and how the aftermath of each episode can vary.
  • The first two seasons are held in especially high regard due to the more cartoony sound design, Surreal Humor, voices and music, which is felt to fit the tone of the series more than the realistic sound effects and orchestrated music that comes later.
• Foe Yay Shipping: There are some fans who ship Oggy and Joey; it helps that, despite usually being enemies, they can get along well when they want to.
• Fridge Horror: One episode has Oggy and Jack delivering a small box which apparently contains innumerable spiders. Who ordered that box and why do they want it? That is, assuming they aren't an arachnologist.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff:
  • The show is particularly well-remembered in Italy.
  • It also appears to have a rather large following in parts of Asia (notably Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines). However, the rampant Adored by the Network situation ended up causing a bit of backlash, especially in Malaysia. The show is also popular in India because of its unique voiceovers imitating Bollywood actors added into the Hindi dub, later the Indian languages dubs on Sony Yay, that it's referenced in the season 4 episode "From Mumbai With Love". Also, a popular Indian cartoon takes a lot of inspiration from it. A reboot of the series, subtitled Next Gen, has Oggy take care of a seven-year old Indian girl as a nod to the series' Indian fanbase. In addition, the show has a lot of Vietnamese fans, and it certainly helps that a Vietnamese animation studio, Armada TMT, actually helped produce the series.
  • Based off the wiki, it seems to have a faithful English speaking following too, probably because of it being available on Netflix.
  • It has a rather decent following in the Arab world, airing across three networks. ^note Those being, MBC 3, Jeem TV, and Space Toon. Heck, there's even a few episodes that are set in Iraq and Egypt.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • "Locked Outside" has the cockroaches locking Oggy outside the house. A similar situation would later occur in the SuperMarioLogan episode "Locked Out", in which Jeffy locks Mario out of the house.
  • With his pink-and-yellow heterochromia, constant grin, and long nose-like proboscis, Joey bears a striking resemblance to a certain NUMBER 1 RATED SALESMAN 1997.
  • Two notable events in the show become even more hilarious since Zig & Sharko aired:
    • In "Safari, So Good", a quick gag has an unfortunate hyena getting devoured whole by Dee Dee. Seven years later, another unlucky hyena would be a co-star in his own show.
    • Marky isn't the only Xilam villain who acted like a Canine Companion to a hero despite not being a dog.
• Hollywood Homely: It's implied the cockroaches are considered hideous In-Universe. To us, they're generally more of an Ugly Cute.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: Fans have criticized Seasons 6 and the majority of Season 7 for mainly being Shot-for-Shot Remakes of earlier ones.
• Love to Hate: The cockroaches. Real ones are pretty unpleasant to look at, but their designs have something endearing to them that allows us to enjoy their antics. It helps that they have hilariously high-pitched laughs.
• Memetic Mutation: The show's theme song is a popular sound on TikTok.
• Moe: Oggy, sorta, mostly because of his personality. Olivia also counts.
• Overshadowed by Controversy: In America at least, the only reason why people remember the series was because of the controversy surrounding an image of a topless girl that appeared in one episode (which cased Nickelodeon to screw over the series).
• Rooting for the Empire: Some fans actively root for the cockroaches to win. It's especially (but not exclusively) when Oggy is acting more antagonistic than usual.
• Seasonal Rot: Season 6 was seen as a major downgrade for long-time fans. Instead of new, original episodes, this season went for Shot-for-Shot Remakes of episodes from the first two seasons in the lineless art style from Season 5, along with some minor changes, such as cameos of Olivia in certain scenes. Many fans were turned off by this, under the belief that the writers had finally run out of ideas after two decades and have resorted to doing remakes to bring in nostalgia. Season 7, while still criticized for its lack of ideas, was seen as a slight improvement due to the presence of original episodes, winning back some people.
• So Okay, It's Average: The general consensus of Season 5. The plots of the episodes feel more flawed and not as well-structured as before, with some of them even rehashing elements from other media and the protagonists breaking character once in a while. Needless to say, it's still pretty harmless and the humor still holds strong.
• Spiritual Successor: To Tom and Jerry, carrying over many tropes into an entirely new generation.
• Strawman Has a Point: "Head in the Clouds" tries to put the cockroaches, who were running an ice cream shop, in the wrong for charging someone. Which is business 101.
• Suspiciously Similar Song: Bob's theme from the first two seasons has the same melody as the unnamed carnival music that is sometimes heard in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It is sometimes even played in the same key.
• Tear Jerker:
  • "So Lonely". Basically, it's about Oggy managing to drive the cockroaches out of his house, but he eventually gets bored without their pranks. It's sad enough, but the most tearjerking moment is probably the part where he cried... like a baby.
  • The Downer Ending to "Honeymoon" is surprisingly poignant: Joey goes through hell and high water to seduce a bee Oggy took in and succeeds. And yet, his friends' jealousy and the ensuing fight injure her so badly she tries to escape Oggy's house. Joey ultimately cannot stop her, and is ultimately left with a stinger through the head to remember her by. Even Oggy is shocked by Joey's painful misfortune.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Again about the Season 6 episode remakes, a common complaint people have is that the sound design and music are a lot less funny than the original episodes. The originals had a more cartoony, slapstick vibe (which matched the show to a T) whereas the remakes tend to sound more realistic and therefore, less comedic.
• They Copied It, So It Sucks!: Some people have criticized the series for being a Spiritual Successor to Tom and Jerry.
• Tough Act to Follow: Xilam is already a big name in French animation, but when it comes to worldwide popularity, Oggy and the Cockroaches is the only show they're most known for — having run for 2 decades (spanning 7 seasons and a theatrical movie) and even expanded into other media. Even with their later shows' success, like Zig & Sharko, it's pretty clear that Oggy will remain the studio's most famous work for a long time.
• Unpopular Popular Character:
  • Oggy and Jack tend to start off on the wrong foot with various characters and more often than not end up earning their ire, particularly in episodes like "Fake News", but the duo is well-liked by the show's community. Oggy in particular is the most popular of the two.
  • Those who know the three cockroaches hate them, and even the ones who tolerate them such as Olivia have their limits, but they have a fanbase themselves. They could also qualify as three of the show's most popular characters.
• Viewer Gender Confusion:
  • At least a couple people have confused Joey for a woman. It's probably because he's pink and purple (which are feminine colors) and that the name "Joey" can be given to females.
  • Likely due to his Gender-Blender Name, a few viewers thought Dee Dee was a girl.
  • According to an official description, the termite in "Termite-ator" is a gal. The only in-show indication of this is her knitting once, something Oggy has done.
• Vindicated by History: The show was initially criticized by American viewers as nothing more than a Tom and Jerry rip-off, rolling their eyes and calling its brand of slapstick tired. Over time, however, many started looking back more fondly on the show, appreciating the more surreal elements present, especially in the earlier seasons.
• The Woobie: Poor Oggy is always getting tormented and screwed over by the roaches, even if he did nothing to annoy them. Besides that, he's also been screwed over by other things, characters and creatures at times. All the abuse he gets really makes you want to give him a hug. Fortunately for him, later episodes throw him bones more often.

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