Xiao Xiao

Xiao Xiao
Genre Action
Dark humor
Surreal humor
Created by Zhu Zhiqiang
Developed by Zhu Zhiqiang
Written by Zhu Zhiqiang
Directed by Zhu Zhiqiang
Voices of Charlie Lehardy (#1)
Zhu Zhiqiang (#9)
Composer(s) Zhu Zhiqiang
Country of origin China
Original language(s) Chinese
English
No. of episodes 10
Production
Executive producer(s) Zhu Zhiqiang
Running time 1-2 minutes
Production company(s) XiaoXiao Movie.com
Release
Original network Newgrounds
Original release April 19, 2001 – February 23, 2002
External links
Website

Xiao Xiao (Chinese: 小小作品; pinyin: Xiǎo Xiǎo Zuò Pǐn) is an Internet Flash cartoon series by Chinese animator Zhu Zhiqiang, featuring stick figure men performing choreographed fight scenes. Some of the cartoons are interactive and game-like. All cartoons are in the Adobe Flash format, although Xiao Xiao #1 was originally in AVI format. It has now been converted to Flash format.

"Xiao Xiao" literally is the Chinese character for "small" repeated twice in Mandarin Chinese; here this reduplication connotes an affectionate diminutive an equivalent might be the English expression "itty bitty" or "lil' old". Each Xiao Xiao cartoon is given a Chinese title with the adjective "Xiao Xiao" preceding a descriptive noun phrase. Xiao Xiao #1 was originally titled "Xiao Xiao Zuo Pin", which translates to "A Little Bit of Creative Work". Since then each Xiao Xiao cartoon has had a different noun succeeding "Xiao Xiao" #4 is titled "Little Sheriff", and #7 is titled "Little Movie".

The term has gradually shifted meaning from the cartoons themselves to the main character, an anonymous black stick-figure in this context it means something akin to "little fella", appropriate since in most perspectives Xiao Xiao and his fellow stick-people appear tiny and childlike, with disproportionately large heads and small limbs.

Xiao Xiao is placed in various dangerous situations to prove his martial arts prowess, often against other stick figures who appear more or less identical to himself. Usually other stick figures are also black, but can be other colors, and Xiao Xiao's perpetual nemesis is the Boss, a purple stick figure who commands the enemy sticks and appears to be Xiao Xiao's only peer in ability.

Others have seized on Xiao Xiao's popularity to make animations exploiting the easy-to-draw style of stick figures and minimalist backgrounds, often creating cartoons that are sequels or takeoffs of the official Xiao Xiao cartoons, especially Xiao Xiao #3.

Episodes

Characters

In June 2004, Zhu filed a lawsuit against Nike for plagiarizing his cartoon stickmen in their commercials. Nike representatives denied the accusations, claiming that the stickman figure lacks originality, and is public domain. Zhu eventually won the lawsuit, claiming his copyright on his style and not the stickman, and Nike was ordered to pay $36,000 to the cartoonist.[1]

References

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