''Robinson Sucroe'' (also known as ''Robinson Sucroë'' in French) is an animated series created by France Animation in France and

Cinar The Cookie Jar Group, commonly known as simply Cookie Jar and formerly known as CINAR, was a Canadian animation studio, media production and distribution company that existed from 1976 until it was folded into DHX Media, now WildBrain, on Dec ...

(now known as

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production company, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of Children's tel ...

) in Canada. In 2009, it was found to have infringed Claude Robinson's work ''Les aventures de Robinson Curiosité''. The series first aired on Canal+'s ''Canaille Peluche'' block from 16 January to 20 February 1995, and was broadcast on Family Channel and

Canal Famille Vrak (stylized as VRΔK) was a Television in Canada, Canadian French language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media. The channel primarily broadcast live-action programming aimed at 13-to-35 age group audiences. Launched i ...

in Canada. The series originally aired in French, with the English version also being produced by Cinar. In the United States, the English version aired on the Cookie Jar Toons block on

This TV This TV (also known as This TV Network and alternately stylized as thisTV) was an American free-to-air television network owned by Allen Media Broadcast Networks, LLC, part of the Allen Media Group division of Entertainment Studios. Originally ...

from 2008 to 2009.

Plot

Robinson Sucroe is a

janitor A cleaner, cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of Industry (economics), industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor (Scotland, United States and Canada), also known as a custodian, Facility Operator, porter ...

at the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

'' newspaper offices. He is sent by the head editor Mr. Floydd to a dangerous deserted island to write stories for the paper every week, much to the annoyance of reporter Julian Uglyston. Robinson reaches an island called Crab Island, but it is not as dangerous and deserted as it seems. It is actually the home to a shipwrecked group of people called the Everydays and two rival legions of

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

s. Robinson, with his right-hand man Mr. Wednesday, write embellished reports about the island's dangers to keep visitors away. But Uglyston knows the truth and tries many unsuccessful attempts to prove to Mr. Floydd that Robinson is lying.

Characters

*Robinson Sucroe: The main protagonist, a young man from colonial

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

who travels to the supposedly deserted Crab Island. His name is a play on the literary character

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...

and the French word "sucre", meaning "sugar", which describes Sucroe's kindness. *Mr. Floydd: The manager of The New York Herald. He's known to be stubborn, arrogant, and a hot-head, which is part of the reason he won't believe Uglyston's stories about Robinson. *Julian Uglyston: (Known as Grumbleston in the English dub) Robinson Sucroe's former coworker. Uglyston was the most successful author at The New York Herald until Robinson left for Crab Island and wrote his stories. Because of Uglyston's jealousy, he attempts to prove to Mr. Floydd that Robinson is telling lies in the stories.

The Everydays

*Wednesday: Sucroe's ever so loyal friend and partner, he is the one who truly writes the stories for The New York Herald. He's also the leader of Crab Island alongside his parents. *Dure Soiree: (Known as Monday Morning Glory in the English dub) Wednesday's mother and the “leader” of Crab Island. She's easily upset and very hot tempered, although having a soft spot for her son. When first meeting Robinson, she had a strong affection for him, which quickly wore out. She's also tone deaf, which makes her think she can sing very well, although her singing causes rainstorms. *Dimanche Midi: (Known as Saturday Night in the English dub) Wednesday's father and Dure Soiree's husband, he's the real leader of the Everydays. A complete opposite of his wife, Dimanche is very calm and patient, with an affinity for playing sports. *Petite Vacance: (Known as Tuesday Dawn in the English dub) A little girl on Crab Island, she's close friends with Wednesday and Robinson. She's coy and a bit of a prankster, but is generally kind. She also likes to sing, but because she is tone deaf (like Dure Soiree), she thinks she's an amazing singer when in reality she's not. *Monday: (Known as Jolly Thursday in the English dub) Wednesday's sister and Petite Vacance's mother (the two are sisters in the English dub). She captures the attraction of everyone, both Everyday and Pirate.

The English Pirates

*Captain Briske: (Known as Captain Percy in the English dub) The captain of English pirates, he and his crew members (except for Little Jim) speak in an overdramatic heavy English accent and are usually seen drinking tea. He is always in a childish feud with Captain Courtecuisse of the French pirates. *Little Jim: (Known as Little Jimmy in the English dub) A little English boy pirate, he's Petite Vacance's "boyfriend". He doesn't talk as much as the others and rarely takes charge of a situation.

The French Pirates

*Captain Courtecuisse: (Known as Captain Beaujolais in the English dub) The captain of the French pirates, he and his crew mates are brash yet spineless. He constantly fights with Captain Briske.

Reoccurring Characters

*Coco: (Known as Polly in the English dub) Uglyston's pet parrot. She usually accompanies him during his schemes. Uglyston considers her very intelligent and treats her better than people. *Captain Boumier: (Known as Captain Boomerang in the English dub) The captain of the New York Herald's ship. He's very naive, believing everything that's told to him. *Gladys Floydd: Mr Floydd's beautiful but ditsy daughter who also works at the New York Herald. She knows about the Everydays on Crab Island and keeps it a secret. *The Spanish Pirates: A group of Spanish

conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

. Unlike the English and French pirates, they are always pillaging other ships. Both pirate groups try to get their hands on the Spanish's gold without success.

Episode List

Voices

English Cast * A.J. Henderson: Robinson Sucroe *Gary Jewell: Wednesday * Rick Jones: Mr. Floydd, Captain Briske * Terrence Scammell: Uglyston * Kathleen Fee: Dure Soiree * Arthur Holden: Dimanche Midi * Pauline Little: Petite Vacance * Bronwen Mantel: Monday * Susan Glover: Little Jim *

Richard Dumont Richard M. Dumont (born 1959 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian voice actor, writer and director who has worked in both Canada and the United States. Dumont is known for playing Sardo, who owned a magic shop called Sardo's Magic Mansion, in ma ...

: Captain Courticuisse, Additional Voices French Cast *Franck de Lapersonne: Robinson Sucroe * Gérard Rinaldi: Wednesday *Michel Modo: Mr. Floydd *Gérard Suruge: Uglyston *Jane Val: Dure Soiree, Monday *Jean-Claude Montalban: Dimanche Midi, Captain Briske, Little Jim *Annabelle Roux: Petite Vacance *Jean-François Kopf: Captain Courticuisse

Copyright infringement

In the 1990s,

, later renamed Cookie Jar Entertainment, copied the work Claude Robinson had previously unsuccessfully presented to them in the 1980s. In 2009, Quebec Superior Court Justice Claude Auclair, in a 240-page decision, awarded Robinson $5.2 million in damages. The company appealed the decision. As of December 23, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada, in a unanimous decision, affirmed the judgment in favor of Robinson. In the final judgement, Cinar Corp. will have to reimburse part of the fees incurred by Robinson and this also includes 4 million Canadian dollars in damages. This judgement ended an 18-year battle between Claude Robinson and the Cinar Corp.Joël-Denis Bellavance (December 13, 2013). La Cour suprême donne raison à Claude Robinson. La Presse (http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-affaires-criminelles/actualites-judiciaires/201312/23/01-4723507-la-cour-supreme-donne-raison-a-claude-robinson.php)

References

External links

* {{Robinson Crusoe 1990s French animated television series 1995 French television series debuts 1995 French television series endings 1990s Canadian animated television series 1995 Canadian television series debuts 1995 Canadian television series endings Television series by Cookie Jar Entertainment French children's animated comedy television series Canadian children's animated comedy television series Television shows involved in plagiarism controversies Works subject to a lawsuit