Acilion and his gang - Shows from my childhood

Acilion and his gang was a program for young people on French television created by Claude Pierrard and broadcast live on TF1 from July 3, 1978 to August 31, 1980 during school holidays.

Production
Acilion and his gang
Kind	Youth
Production	Gerard Boulouys Claude Pierrard
Country	France
Language	French
Number of seasons	2
Production	TF1
Diffusion
Diffusion	TF1
Date of first broadcast	July 3, 1978
Last broadcast date	Aug 31, 1980
Advised audience	young audience

The show

It was presented live by Claude Pierrard and the Acilion puppet, a sort of chameleon-frog, which was added to the image by special effects. Acilion’s voice was that of Boris Scheigam, who was already lending his voice to Leonardo, the fox of Children’s Island , and the Sibor puppet from the show Wednesday Visitors .

Acilion and his gang offered cartoons, serials and educational sequences.

Historical

Acilion and his gang is the first children’s program to be broadcast during school holidays. Before that, the ORTF broadcast children’s programs on an irregular basis. After the break-up of the ORTF in 1974, the first channel, named after TF1, offers young viewers a weekly program, Wednesday Visitors , which opens the golden age of youth programs. In 1978, TF1 chose Claude Pierrard, one of the first animators of Wednesday visitors , to present his own show. Acilion and his gang was born. It will be a great success with children (8 to 10 million viewers for each program).

To note : Acilion and his gang was created on the same day as Recreation A2 on Antenne 2 (presented by Dorothée), a program that will compete from its inception with Wednesday Visitors from TF1.

A unique animation process in France

Acilion and his gang won over the children by the playful and unusual side of its animation. However, in 1980, after only two years of existence, TF1 decided to end the program. The alleged reason is the too expensive animation process (the patent was held by the Americans with whom TF1 had contracted). This then new process made it possible, by means of special effects, to make a live animated puppet appear on the screen image superimposed on an independent set. Acilion and his gang no longer being renewed, the presenter Claude Pierrard will then create the program for young people Croque-Vacances , still on TF1, in which he will take up the concept of Acilion and his gang but using ordinary puppets.