|
The
OGGIES animated pasties continue to generate interest from all over
the world.
One
of the OGGIES, a team of cartoon Cornish Pasty characters has won
the attention of the surfing stars Down Under.
 |
| Bondi
Bruce Cuddly Toy - part of an extensive range of OGGIES merchandise |
Bondi
Bruce, an extreme sports, surf loving pasty has been chosen to spearhead
an unprecedented campaign aimed at encouraging Australian youngsters
to take up the sport their homeland is most famous for.
Bruce
is one of the co-stars of the OGGIES (originally called Cornish
Riviera Pasties)
He
has been chosen to be the mascot of an exclusive membership club
called The Bondi Bruce Surf Academy.
It
will be run in conjunction with Surfing Australia (the governing
body of the sport in the continent) and spear head the Bondi Bruce
Super Grommet Championship (a national competition event which will
run throughout Australia during 2004)
 |
| Jim
Driscoll meets Jason Blewitt from Surfing Australia in Newquay
during September |
Surfing
Australia's Jason Blewitt and Peter Cook made the long journey to
Newquay on Wednesday 10th September to officially meet the Oggie
pasties creators and local surfing representatives.
The
duo had a chance to look around the recently opened National Surfing
Centre at Fistral Beach in the Cornish resort, as well as learning
more about the importance of surfing and pasties to Cornwall.
"Australia
is the spiritual home of this fantastic sport," says Jim Driscoll,
creator of the OGGIES.
"What
better place is there for Bondi Bruce to launch this extraordinary
campaign which is being actively supported by the Australian Government
as part of its own 'Pathways to Participation' iniative."
Bondi
Bruce will be the face of "UNLEASHED AUSTRALIA" just like
his fellow pasty Fistral Freddie is the official mascot of UNLEASHED
in the UK.
 |
| Fistral
Freddie's UNLEASHED Academy with the British Surfing Association
has already been a huge success in the UK |
UNLEASHED
Australia will feature Bruce in all aspects of the membership club,
exclusive surf academy and themed competition event.
"Bruce
will host the Super Grommet Championship in Australia," says
Jim.
"Kids
of all sizes, age and gender can compete and demonstrate the skills
they have acquired at the academy."
"More
than simply a competition this event will be about 'taking part'
a theme as relevant to the kids in Australia as it is anywhere in
the world," explains Jim.
"We
have always believed OGGIES to be a truly international television
series and this alliance with Surfing Australia confirms our beliefs,"
explains Jim.
Bruce
will be a star alongside Fistral Freddie, Porthmeor Pete and many
other characters in the television series which is now in production.
 |
| Fistral
Freddie was created by Newquay Junior school children as a result
of a competition run on the BBC Cornwall website |
The
OGGIES UK television show is due to air in this country next year.
The
OGGIES look set to make their mark across the world even further!
"The
programme has taken a full year to get to this point and we are
now working with a select number of companies in Cornwall, many
more nationally and certain key international partners in major
territories globally," explains Jim.
Just
like the partnership between Fistral Freddie and The BSA, UNLEASHED
Australia, the Official Bondi Bruce Surfing Academy, will also offer
branded technical surfing equipment and relevant merchandise.
 |
| John
Knox explains the future of the OGGIES to the Australian party
in Newquay in September |
"The
underlying theme for the show has always been don't just sit and
watch the pasties surfing. Go out and do it and have fun,"
explained John Knox, Managing Director of Clipper Media now heavily
involved in the promotion of the OGGIES worldwide.
Mirroring
the wetsuits, surfboards, body boards, surfboard leashes and other
products available from Tunnel Vision in Newquay, Bondi Bruce branded
products will be available to young surfers on the other side of
the world.
Keep
visiting the BBC Cornwall website for the latest news from the OGGIES.
OTHER
NEWS
The
OGGIES will be heading for the 2003 Cannes TV and Film Festival
in October. Last year's attendance by Jim Driscoll generated a lot
of interest in the animated series which is currently in production.
'Denzil
Skilly', a fun-loving Jamaican character (with a passion for reggae
music and surfing) has been licensed by Cleone for a new range of
Jamaican patties created to appeal to children.
 |
| Denzil
Skilly |
Cleone
already has distribution in place for existing products with major
UK supermarkets.
"This
is a further extension into the Children's food sector for us, complimenting
the extensive line of products to be launched by Ginsters in the
food on the move sector," says Jim Driscoll, co-creator of the property
and Chairman of Galleon Holdings.
"Most importantly, the products from both Cleone and Ginsters will
offer a healthier option to kids raised on a diet of fast foods.
It's also good to working with a West Midland's based company on
this project."
Cleone
is forecasting sales of more than 1,000,000 Denzil Skilly patties
for 2004. It has the sole licensing rights to use Denzil Skilly
in the Jamaican pattie product sector for two years with first option
to renegotiate thereafter.
Concludes
Driscoll: "The use of one character - from a cast of more than 20
- demonstrates the richness and diversity of the cartoon series.
We have licensing agreements on the table for other characters across
a range of product sectors as well as overall licensing contracts
for the series itself. I am confident that Cleone will be very successful
with its license and I look forward to announcing a succession of
partnerships over the coming weeks and months."
THE
OGGIES BACKGROUND
The
idea for the surfing and environmentally aware pasty family came
from Cornwall.
 |
| This Elvis
pasty is not 'All shook up' about his hair. |
"I
sometimes wondered whether there was something funny in the pasty
I was eating when I came up with the idea," laughs Vincent
Walker, a St Ives businessman who created the concept.
Jim
Driscoll who produced the famous 'Shoe People' cartoon series met
with Vincent to discuss the idea of the pasty family.
"My
company Galleon Group is involved in a number of children's animation
projects," explains Jim. "When Vincent told me of his
ideas I immediately thought that it had great possibilities."
Jim
introduced Vincent to Fireman Sam creator and children's artist
Rob Lee. Together the three created the characters and storylines.
In
the cartoons the family of funky pasties have countless adventures
and scrapes. With colourful characters the idea is proving popular.
Companies
all over the world have expressed a big interest in showing the
cartoons when they are finished.
Characters
from the OGGIES have also made a successful print debut.
OGGIES
IN PRINT
A special
activity book for last Christmas sold out quickly. It was launched
to support Scope, a national disability organisation who support
people with cerebral palsy.
The
book contained two special new TV characters, along with many of
the pasty pictures drawn by Cornish school children who entered
our BBC Cornwall website competition.
|
