Insektors facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Insektors
The front cover to an Insektors DVD.
Genre	Animated, Family, Comedy
Created by	Studio Fantome
Written by	Eric Rondeaux Véronique Herbaut
Directed by	Georges LaCroix Renato LaCroix
Country of origin	France
Original language(s)	French, English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	12 minutes
Release
Original network	Canal+, VHS, DVD, YTV, Channel 4, and Nickelodeon UK (2000)
Original release	January 15, 1994 (1994-01-15) – December 30, 1995 (1995-12-30)

Insektors (also known as InseKtorS) was a cool French computer-animated TV show that first aired in 1994. It was one of the very first TV series ever made using computer animation, even before famous shows like VeggieTales and ReBoot. This amazing show was created by a small studio called Fantome in France. In 1994, Insektors won a special "Children and Young People" Emmy Award! The show was directed by Georges LaCroix and Renato LaCroix, and the stories were written by Eric Rondeaux, Véronique Herbaut, and Marc Perrier.

Making the Show and Different Voices

Insektors was created in 1993 and first shown in France in early 1994. It was actually the fifth TV series ever made completely with computer animation.

The show was then translated into English for two different regions: one version for North America (like Canada and the USA) and another for the UK (United Kingdom).

North American Version

The North American version of Insektors had its voices recorded in Paris, France. It first aired on Canadian TV on a channel called YTV.

UK Version

For the UK version, the script was completely rewritten. This meant that characters sometimes had different names, and the dialogue (what they said) was changed. They even added jokes and references that people in Britain would understand!

Meet the Characters

The show features two main groups of insects: the colorful Joyces (or Verigreens) and the dark Beurks (or Yuks/Kruds). Below, you'll see the French name first, then the British name in brackets, and sometimes a North American name too.

The Joyces (Verigreens)

The Joyces (called Verigreens in the UK) are bright, happy insects. They are actually related to the Yuks/Kruds but broke away when a special "Great Prism" arrived. This prism brought life and color to their home, creating Flower City. The Joyces are peaceful and love to have fun. Their main goal is to protect the Great Prism from the Yuks/Kruds. Many of the regular Joyce citizens look like bees.

• Fulgor (Flynn)
  • This brave hero was born a Yuk/Krud but was adopted by the Joyces when he was young. He carries a powerful Kolour Guitar (or Musical Colour Gun). This electric guitar shoots blasts of colorful pollen! Fulgor/Flynn is sometimes a bit reckless, but he's always ready to fight the Yuks/Kruds.

• Aelia (Alex)
  • A beautiful butterfly, Aelia/Alex is the daughter of the Joyce leader and Fulgor/Flynn's adopted sister. She helps take care of the Great Prism and assists her father with his science projects. She also has a crush on Prince Acylius/Max from the Yuk/Krud side!

• Le Grand Artificier/The Great Pyro (Godfrey)
  • This slightly quirky butterfly is the leader of the Joyces/Verigreens. He's Aelia/Alex's biological father and Fulgor/Flynn's adoptive father. He's very good at science and also has mystical knowledge.

• Daltonio (Bentley)
  • A greenfly who works as the Great Pyro's/Godfrey's main helper.

• Gallopus (Peg)
  • A mechanical robot that looks like a horse. Gallopus/Peg is very fast and can even fly! This robot was first built by Eurekas/Magus. Gallopus/Peg is Fulgor's/Flynn's loyal steed and close friend, but can only make honking and squeaking sounds. In the UK version, Peg is a girl.

• Spotty (Elmo)
  • Another helpful machine, like Gallopus/Peg. Spotty/Elmo is a small flying robot with a big spotlight in its stomach, perfect for lighting up dark places.

The Beurks (Yuks/Kruds)

The Beurks (called Yuks in North America and Kruds in the UK) are insects that are only one color (monochromatic). They live in a rotting tree stump in a swamp. They constantly try to take over Flower City to get the flowers, which they use as fuel. If they touch bright colors, like pollen or mushroom juice, they can't stop laughing! Regular Yuk soldiers look like crickets, while other Yuk citizens are beetles.

• Reine/Queen Bakrakra (Queen Katheter the Third)
  • A scary praying mantis who rules the Yuks/Kruds. She is a descendant of the mean King Bakrakro/Katheter the First. Queen Bakrakra/Katheter is so cold-hearted that she needs to spend a lot of time in a huge warming furnace!

• Prince Acylius (Prince Maximillian)
  • A mantis and the son of Queen Bakrakra/Katheter. He is next in line to the Yuk/Krud throne. Unlike most Yuks/Kruds, he actually likes flowers and has romantic feelings for Aelia/Alex!

• Lord Krabo (Lord Draffsack)
  • A grumpy, stressed, and power-hungry cockroach. He's the Prime Minister of the Yuks/Kruds and can be a bit of a coward.

• Lord Teknocratus (Lord Synapse)
  • A weevil who is the chief engineer for the Yuks/Kruds. He's always relaxed and busy creating new machines to help their cause. Lord Krabo/Draffsack often blames him when his inventions don't work.

• Lord Kretinus (Corporal Fugg)
  • A weevil who is the clumsy and slow-witted assistant to Lord Krabo/Draffsack and General Lukanus/Wasabi. He's always trying to impress his bosses.

• General Lukanus (General Wasabi)
  • A beetle and the arrogant commander of the Yuk/Krud army. He carries out the plans of Krabo/Draffsack and Teknocratus/Synapse, but his strongest loyalty is to Queen Bakrakra/Katheter.

• Captain Krabouic and Lieutenant Kaboche (Captain Roderick Drumsturdy and Corporal Stanley Greeb)
  • These two are the twin heads of security, test pilots, and special commandos. Krabouic/Drumsturdy is taller and more daring, while Kaboche/Greeb is shorter and more easily scared.

• The Guards (The Methane Brothers (Miff and Eric))
  • Two rhinoceros beetles who guard the main entrance to the Yuk/Krud castle. They are usually slow-witted, easily distracted, and quite quirky.

• Protokol (Kopius)
  • A cockchafer who acts as the Yuk/Krud herald. He announces when characters enter, often when it's not really needed. He also uses his limited chances to speak to make sarcastic comments about his superiors.

• Eurekas (Magus)
  • A walking stick who appears in the last episode of the first season. He is Fulgor/Flynn's biological father and used to work with Teknocratus/Synapse.

Amazing Technology

Both the Joyces and the Yuks have their own unique and interesting technology. Here are some of their inventions!

Joyce Technology

• The Great Prism (The Great Prism)
  • This is a glowing, multicolored cube located in a tall tower. The Great Prism is the main power source for the Joyces/Verigreens, keeping their Flower City alive. It seems to be a living thing that can talk and show images. To keep it working, it needs to be bathed in nectar from a special water plant found in Yuk/Krud territory. If it's not cared for, it can die.

• Kolour Guitar (Musical Colour Gun)
  • Fulgor/Flynn's special handheld device. It looks and plays like an electric guitar. When he plucks the strings hard, it shoots blasts of colorful pollen! These blasts don't affect the Joyces/Verigreens, but they make the Yuks/Kruds burst into uncontrollable laughter. Interestingly, a few Yuks/Kruds, like Acylius/Maximillian and Queen Bakrakra/Katheter, are not affected by it.

• Dragonfly Squadron
  • These mechanical dragonflies are the Joyces' main defense. They fire pollen blasts, just like the Kolour Guitar, from their abdomens.

• Flower Konnons
  • New weapons used by the Joyces that only appeared in the episode 'No Presents for Khristmas'. They shoot like the Kolour Guitar.

• Kolour Dynamites
  • Colorful explosions used by Fulgor/Flynn. When the Yuks/Kruds are collecting flowers for heat, the dynamite explodes with many colors, making the Yuks/Kruds laugh.

Yuk Technology

• The Hotsy Totsy (Hypertherm)
  • This is a large fireplace that keeps the queen warm. The Yuks/Kruds use it when they cut down flowers and turn them into logs for heat. It also stops water from flooding their city and powers up The Dark Box.

• The Dark Box (Krud'o'Pod)
  • A machine that undoes the effects of the Kolour Guitar/Musical Colour Gun. It turns affected Yuks/Kruds back to their normal, grumpy selves. It's even hinted that the Dark Box might be able to turn Joyces into Yuks!

• Hoverbikes (Bikes/Krudmobile)
  • These are hoverbikes mostly used by Krabouic/Drumsturdy and Kaboche/Greeb for getting around quickly.

• Kreatur
  • This is the robot-mechanic of the engineer Teknocratus. It can act as an elevator, a robot welder, and helps with electro-mechanics. It's not very smart, with an intellectual quotient of 0.5.

• Kat-Kat
  • An off-road vehicle that can travel across deserts, mountains, and even swamps. It's used to transport Yuk/Krud troops and for invading Joyce territory.

• Koa (Frogbuckets)
  • Giant war machines that look like frogs. The Koa/Frogbuckets are the Yuks'/Kruds' heavy fighting force and also collect materials. They are usually controlled by two pilots, can go in water, and their bodies are completely safe from Joyce/Verigreen pollen blasts. Teknocratus/Synapse prefers to call them 'Hydroscopic Amphibious Personal Relocation Units'.

• The Koleopter (The Hovermower)
  • This machine looks like a giant flying beetle. It's an airborne machine with two pilots and a spinning blade for cutting flower stems. It has 'Fightermites' to defend against the 'Dragonflies'. It can carry many goods and also works like a vacuum cleaner for collecting nectar. Teknocratus/Synapse insists its proper name is the 'Anti-Gravity Daffodil Collector'.

• Sky Breaker (Cloud Clearer)
  • A huge laser cannon seen in episodes like 'The Weather ForeKast'. It was designed to cause droughts, but when tested during rain, it made snow instead! A similar Cloud Clearer, made from both Yuk/Krud and Joyce/Verigreen technology, almost destroyed Flower City in another episode.

• "Tweet-Tweet" (Chicken)
  • This bird-shaped airborne war machine was used to try and steal The Great Prism. It was controlled by two pilots. After several failed designs, the fourth version finally took off, but it was sliced in half while trying to steal the Prism. It also appeared in a couple of other episodes.

• "Kalkulator" (Sparky)
  • A supercomputer built by Synapse that appeared in the episode of the same name. It made Krud city fully automated with PIN-operated doors and automated defenses. It also controlled "Auto-mated lumberjacks." The system was messed up by a colored data card hit by Flynn's color gun, causing Krud city to go crazy. Draffsack then ordered Sparky to be scrapped.

• "Auto-mated lumberjacks"
  • These machines were controlled by Sparky and were almost impossible for Verigreen technology to destroy. They could cut down the flower forest very quickly. They had a color detector that made them attack Verigreen technology. The Verigreens used color sprays to trick them into falling off a cliff. Even though they survived the fall, they were finally defeated when Sparky was destroyed.

• Koal Juice Guns
  • These are the Yuk version of the Kolour Guitar. If a Joyce is hit by koal juice, they become sad. This sadness can be cured by the energy of the Great Prism. Most Yuk soldiers and vehicles use these weapons. Yuks seem to be immune to koal juice, but it can still stick to them. Koal juice is a dull green substance.

• Vokalizers
  • These are like walkie-talkie microphones that the Yuks/Kruds used when their voices were affected by something. They appeared in a two-part episode called "It's Katching/Epidemik" and "The Kure." A similar Vokalizer might have been a prototype in "Fulgor's Kwest/Krud Konfession."

The Story of Insektors

The show takes place on a planet called Karbon (or Krud in the UK version). In one episode, 'Planet Karbon/The Black Planet', we learn that Karbon was once a dark, colorless rock inhabited by only one type of insect: the Yuks/Kruds. They survived by digging deep into the planet for coal.

Then, a meteor shaped like a Prism crashed onto the planet. Where it landed, it brought color and energy, creating a beautiful paradise filled with flowers. Some of the Yuks/Kruds moved to this area, gained colors, and renamed themselves Joyces/Verigreens. They respected the Prism and built a tall altar for it.

The Yuks/Kruds who stayed behind continued mining for coal until they ran out. The conflict between the two insect groups began when a violent Yuk/Krud named King Bakrako/Katheter the First decided to use the Joyces'/Verigreens' flower stalks as a new fuel source. Over time, everyone forgot that the two groups were once the same people, and they have been enemies ever since.

Episode Guide

VHS and DVDs

You could find Insektors on VHS tapes and DVDs! Here's a look at some of the releases:

Voice Actors

Many talented voice actors brought the characters of Insektors to life in different languages!

French Version Voice Actors

• Christian Alers
• Daniel Lafourcade
• Pierre Baton
• Jacques Brunnet
• Alexandre Gillet
• Raphaelle Moutier
• Jean-Claude Sachot
• Lucienne Troka

North American Version Voice Actors

• David Gasman
• Karen Strassman
• Christian Erickson
• Bela Grushka
• Edouard Marcus
• Paul Bandey

UK Version Voice Actors

• Teddy Kempner
• Caroline Bliss
• Andy Secombe
• Neil McCaul