Włatcy móch (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvwatsˑɨ mux]) (English: The Lordz o' Flys) is a Polish adult animated series, which aired on the Polish TV channel TV4 between November 2006 and December 2011. The title is a misspelling of "Władcy much" ("The Lords of Flies") and derives from William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies. The story revolves around four 8-year-old boys in Grade IIB of the Batalion Zośka Elementary School in Wrocław: Anusiak, Konieczko, Maślana and Czesio. The show has a total of 127 regular and 2 special episodes, and a feature film also exists. The comedy won the 2008 Świry Award [pl] in category "TV Series".

Włatcy móch
First row from the left: Anusiak, Konieczko, Maślana and Czesio. Second row: Mrs. Nurse and Ms. Frał
GenreAnimated sitcom, Black comedy, Satire, Surreal humor
Created byBartosz Kędzierski[1]
ShowrunnersPaweł Pewny
Michał Dusiński
Jarosław Ratajski[1]
Directed byBartosz Kędzierski
Błażej Andrzejewski[1]
Voices ofKrzysztof Kulesza
Adam Cywka
Bartosz Kędzierski
Krzysztof Grębski
Beata Rakowska
Elżbieta Golińska
Theme music composerBehavior[1]
Country of originPoland
No. of seasons9
No. of episodes127 + 2 specials + 1 feature film (list of episodes)
Production
Running timeapprox. 22 minutes
Production companiesRMG, Xantus[1]
Original release
NetworkTV4
Comedy Central
Release14 November 2006 (2006-11-14) –
4 December 2011 (2011-12-04)

It is often compared to South Park, to such an extent that the show has even been nicknamed the "Polish South Park".[2]

From 2017 to 2019 a sequel series named Włatcy Móch: One (Lordz o' Flys: Them) was produced, but the premiere of the show took place on September 8th, 2024.[3]

Main characters

edit
  • Czesio – A zombie. He lives with two of his friends, Marcel and The Colonel, and has a teddy bear – Sweary. He wants to become a singer of Gorzkie żale (in Czesio's meaning, old, sad Church chants). Czesio had such serious and numerous developmental and genetic disabilities before death, that it was only after he died that he was able to function normally. He doesn't know that he's a zombie and that because of that he is physically unable to grow up. He's extremely polite and kind, but also very naïve. He can eat anything without harm, without limits in quantity. His IQ was estimated at 70.
  • Anusiak – (in the episode "Nazywam się Anusiak", he's also called Odbyciakodbyt is Polish for anus). He always sniffs his hand after the end of most of his sentences because of allergies. His father is a member of a peasant political party (probably Samoobrona) and is a Sejm member – which is reflected in Anusiak's political aspirations. He wants to create a large populist party that would one day rule the world, with himself as the leader. Due to his fathers' example, he is skilled at writing and delivering appealing (populist) speeches. He always receives socks as his Christmas present. His IQ was estimated at 50.
  • Maślana – (Buttermilk) sometimes called Moczowód (Polish for ureter) the richest and most cunning and sneaky of the group. He wants to be the President of the World Bank. He wore a diaper in the episode Mokre Sny ("Wet Dreams"). On his 8th birthday, his wealthy parents gave him a golden credit card. His top rated value is money, but he is also quite religious at the same time, and is very afraid of Satan. His IQ was estimated at 130.
  • Konieczko – (Necessary) a genius, similar to Dexter. He likes to experiment on animals, especially using explosives. He claims to be an atheist. He wants to become the President of the Nobel Foundation. His IQ was estimated 153 - the highest in his class. He is confirmed to have ADHD.
  • Ms. Frał – (from German: die Frau, meaning woman, lady). Also called "the old bag" or "Gal/Dudette" by the main four. She is the teacher of class IIB, the class with the four boys. She is an old spinster and is still a virgin. Religiously devoted (in a very old-fashioned sense), she is very demanding and does not like the main characters, and does not refrain from insulting them frequently. She speaks with an Eastern Polish accent.
  • Mrs. Nurse – a corpulent school nurse with a deep, masculine voice. After the death of Marcel, her husband, she becomes interested in blues. Aside from blues, she is also interested and prolific in practically every genre of music. She enjoys the reggae culture and smokes marijuana at times. In the episode Za Kólisami ("Behind the Scenes"), it is revealed she has an underage Asian lover.

Other characters

edit
  • Andżelika – is a classmate of the main characters. She comes from the USA. She is 3 years older than the other students, but attends the same class due to educational differences between Poland and the US. The boys don't like her mutually. In the episode Andżelika, she was going out with Anusiak, Konieczko, and Maślana all at once, only to dump them the next day to go after Czesio. However, Czesio didn't like her because she doesn't have a penis. Her IQ was estimated 140. Her father is from Texas. She often uses English words along with Polish.
  • Karolina – Andżelika's best friend.
  • Marcel – an alcoholic zombie, former husband to Mrs. Nurse. He committed suicide by jumping from a bridge, and therefore can't get into heaven. He lives at the cemetery and is Czesio's neighbor and friend. He likes to spend his time with The Colonel by drinking beer and vodka brought to the cemetery by his wife, whom he told to do so instead of bringing flowers. Marcel often acts as Czesio's dad on parents' evenings.
  • The Colonel – also a zombie, but with his upper skeleton and skull visible. He lives at the cemetery near Marcel, and is another one of Czesio's friends. He fought in the Home Army and according to other information, in Józef Piłsudski's legion during World War I. He is known for his strong anticommunist views and dislike toward police. Some of his friends, fellow zombie Home Army veterans, are still living in the underground since the Warsaw uprising, where he visits them. Like Marcel, Colonel is an alcoholic and they often drink together. He often breaks into the graves of fallen Russians to get vodka. The Colonel often acts as Czesio's mum on parents' evenings.
  • Sweary the Bear – Czesio's brown teddy filled with sawdust, leader of the plushies. Sweary is alive and swears a lot. He also helps Czesio when he is in trouble, along with the rest of the gang. He is also a drinkmate of Marcel and The Colonel, but does not drink too much because of his sawdust filling soaking through. Sweary is the only character in the show to be animated in 3D.
  • The Homeless – sleeps rough and collects garbage. He mumbles a lot and never speaks intelligibly.
  • The Bus Driver – a Satanist. He performs black Sabbaths at the cemetery. His IQ was estimated 66.6, which upset Anusiak, because his IQ is even lower.
  • The Priest – allergic to caffeine. He is a dead ringer for Tadeusz Rydzyk.
  • The Nun – a religious education teacher. She looks, sounds and behaves exactly like Miss Frał, except she has a different accent.
  • Mariola Wasilak – a TV journalist, who has won an Oscar for a report on Polish children at an annual potato lifting contest.
  • Rambo – Maślana's dog, appears only in Episode 34.
  • Zajkowski – the main characters' classmate. He often visits the ladies room because the main characters hate him and often bully him (especially Anusiak). He has fallen in love with Andżelika. Anusiak always beats him up, and in one of the episodes, Konieczko killed him. His IQ was estimated 100.
  • Pikulski and Frosik – are from sixth grade and they are around 4 years older than the main characters. They are school gangsters and the main characters are very afraid of them. In a few episodes, the duo is always doing something mischievous to the main characters, such as stealing their property, or hitting them for fun. Surprisingly, Mrs. Nurse also hates them because she knows they are doing harm to other pupils and she will always help the main characters if Pikulski or Frosik have done anything wrong to them.
  • Pedeciak – Konieczko's tan teddy with buttons in place of his eyes. Unlike his owner, he is not very intelligent.
  • Toothy – Maślana's teddy, wearing a blue-grey-red sweatshirt and a baseball cap. He has a single tooth going out of his mouth.
  • Huggy – Anusiak's pink plush rabbit. He is the most infantile of the four plushies and wants to hug everyone, which annoys Sweary a lot.

List of episodes (translations without mistakes)

edit
Air Date N/o English Title Original Title
FIRST SEASON
14.11.2006 01 Maślana's card Karta Maślany
15.11.2006 02 My Name is Anusiak Nazywam się Anusiak
21.11.2006 03 Order for Maślana Order dla Maślany
22.11.2006 04 Uncle Alfred Wójek Alfred
28.11.2006 05 First Communion Piersza komunja
29.11.2006 06 Andżelika Andżelika
06.12.2006 07 Shigella the Witch Wiedźma Shigella
12.12.2006 08 Hygienic Blues Higieniczny blues
13.12.2006 09 Brainwashing Pranie mózgów
19.12.2006 10 Milk skin, Milkwoman, and the Frog Plug Korzóh, mleczarka i korek do rzaby
07.03.2007 11 The Bus and the Souvenir Ałtobus i suwenira
14.03.2007 12 The Museum Muzełum
SECOND SEASON
21.03.2007 13 Saint Nicholas Day Mikołajki
28.03.2007 14 Potato Lifting Wykopki
04.04.2007 15 Carnival Karnawau
23.12.2007 16 Romek and his Fred[4] Romek i jego Fred
11.04.2007 17 Full Control Maksymalna kontrola
18.04.2007 18 Grandma's Radio Radyjko Babci
25.04.2007 19 Boróh the Scout Druch Boróh
02.05.2007 20 Barbecue with Mruczuś Barbakiu z Mruczusiem
09.05.2007 21 The Swearing Bear Miś Przekliniak
17.05.2007 22 Behind the Scenes Za kólisami
23.05.2007 23 Positive Vibration Pozytywna wibracja
31.05.2007 24 Memento Mori Memęto Mori
THIRD SEASON
02.09.2007 25 Cavities Próhnica
09.09.2007 26 Czesław's Case Pszypadek Czesława
16.09.2007 27 The World Cup Móndial
23.09.2007 28 TV's Truth Prawda ekranu
30.09.2007 29 The Motorbike and Mouseguts Motorynka i myszykiszki
07.10.2007 30 Fluder Fluder
14.10.2007 31 Shaggy Democracy Kosmata Demokrancja
21.10.2007 32 A Run Away Gigant
04.11.2007 33 Exhumation Ekskumancja
11.11.2007 34 Czech, Cześ and Brambor Czech, Cześ i Brambor
18.11.2007 35 The Anxious Rains Deszcze niespokojne
25.11.2007 36 Vaccine for Frycek Szczypionka dla Frycka
02.12.2007 37 Washy-Wash Kompu-kompu
09.12.2007 38 Purée for the Elephant Piure dla słonia
19.12.2007 39 Nativity Play Jasełki
FOURTH SEASON
02.03.2008 40 The Parade Pochót
09.03.2008 41 Bogey Mel
16.03.2008 42 Sleigh Ride with Próch Kólik z Próchem
23.03.2008 43 Bloody Tuesday Krfawy wtorek
30.03.2008 44 Gangster's Paradise Gangsta-Dewasta
06.04.2008 45 Bee and Class Math Test Pździoszczoła i test z majzy
13.04.2008 46 Wet Dreams Mokre sny
20.04.2008 47
27.04.2008 48 The Sandcastles Bapki z piahu
04.05.2008 49 Bruce Lee's Style Styl Brusliego
11.05.2008 50 Power of Wild Monkeys Moc Dzikih Małp
18.05.2008 51 Canal Kanau
07.09.2008 52 Execution Egzekócja
14.09.2008 53 The Vending Machine Ałtomat
21.09.2008 54 Biological Weapon Broń Bjologiczna
FIFTH SEASON
28.09.2008 55 Children's Day Dzjeń dzjecka
05.10.2008 56 Death and Candy Śmiercicha i cóksy
12.10.2008 57 Boys or Machos? Chłopacy czy maczo?
19.10.2008 58 The Science Contest Olimiada nałukowa
26.10.2008 59 The Secret Samurai Blade Tajne Oszcze Samuraja
02.11.2008 60 Green Hallucination Zieluna Haluna
09.11.2008 61 Boys - Firemen Hłopaki Strażaki
16.11.2008 62 Introduction of Euro Wprowadzenie Jełro
23.11.2008 63 Building, Pie, and Gun Bódowa, Placek i Splówa
30.11.2008 64 Master of Paper Recycling Miszczu Makratury
07.11.2008 65 The Fair Festyn
14.12.2008 66 The Country Wioha
SIXTH SEASON
01.03.2009 67 Affection Óczucie wyszcze
08.03.2009 68 Zajjo's revenge Zemsta Zajjo
15.03.2009 69 The Night of the Living Dead Noc rzywyh trupóf
22.03.2009 70 Divine Hello Boże Halo
29.03.2009 71 The Curve of Life Kreha Rzycia
05.04.2009 72 The Hearing Pszesóhanie
19.04.2009 73 The Black PR of Paparazzi[5] Czarny pijar paparaczi
26.04.2009 74 Stark Circus Jistny Cyrk
03.05.2009 75 The Athletics Letkoatletyka
10.05.2009 76 Houston, oh Damn! Chjóston, ja pierdziu!
17.05.2009 77 Class Christmas Eve Klasowa Wiligila
24.05.2009 78 The Visitation Wizytancja
31.05.2009 79 Yellow T-shirt and a Screwdriver Rzułta koszulka i śrubowkręt
SEVENTH SEASON
06.09.2009 80 Chickenpox Łospa wieczna
13.09.2009 81 The Awkward Hero Żenadera bochatera
20.09.2009 82 Winter in the City Zima w Mieśdzie
27.09.2009 83 The Ice Rink Lodowiho
04.10.2009 84 The Book Is My Friend Ksionszka moim pszyjacielem
11.10.2009 85 The Magical Powers Magiczne moce
18.10.2009 86 Screwed Ódópieni
25.10.2009 87 The Boys Are Defending The Playground Chłopacy placu broniom
01.11.2009 88 The Automotive Miracle Cód motoryzancji
08.11.2009 89 The Pedaling Pedałuwa
15.11.2009 90 The Barefoot Mother Mary Matka bosa
22.11.2009 91 The Burped Prohibition Bekana Prohibincja
29.11.2009 92 The Cruise Reis
06.12.2009 93 No Urine at All Ani Siór Siór
13.12.2009 94 Damn Kurde
20.12.2009 95 The Penance Pokóta
EIGHTH SEASON
28.02.2010 96 The Pet Zwieżontko
07.03.2010 97 Infected Meat Hore Mięho
14.03.2010 98 I Am Not A Digit Nie jestem cyfrom
21.03.2010 99 A Little Top Bonczek
30.03.2010 100 WWW Monkey at the Zoo WU WU WU Maupa w zoo
25.04.2010 101 Change of the Guard Zmiana Warty
02.05.2010 102 Re-socialization Right Now Resocjalizancja jusz
09.05.2010 103 Sugar Builds Up Cókier krzepi
16.05.2010 104 Storks' Key Klócz bocianuf
23.05.2010 105 Female Element Rzeński pierwiosnek
30.05.2010 106 Knockout Nokałt
06.06.2010 107 The Nail for the Coffin Gwuść do trómny
13.06.2010 108 From Hell Spiekua rodem
20.06.2010 109 A Small Mouse Małamysza
NINTH SEASON
08.05.2011 110 Wet Job Mokra robota
15.05.2011 111 Iron Wheel Rzelazna kjerownica
22.05.2011 112 A Red Button Czerwony gózik
29.05.2011 113 Ants' Hardship Mrófczy trut
05.06.2011 114 Farmageddon Farmagedon
12.06.2011 115 A Choir of Uncles Hur wójuf
19.06.2011 116 At the Source Ó źródła
26.06.2011 117 Black Boy Bambo Móżynek Bambo
30.10.2011 118 A Timely Receipt Paragon Czasowy
06.11.2011 119 The Duty Dyrzór
06.11.2011 120 My Dad Muj Tata
13.11.2011 121 A Hydro Maze Chydro za gatka
13.11.2011 122 Come, I'll Show You Post Stamps Choć, pokarzem Ci znaczki
20.11.2011 123 The Fiction of Life Fikcja życia
20.11.2011 124 Do You Speak English? Du ju spik inglisz
27.11.2011 125 A Safety Lever Wajha bespieczeństfa
27.11.2011 126 The School Savings Cashbox, A Marker, and the Haunted House SKO, flamaster i dom strachów
04.12.2011 127 Pilot's Day[6] Dzień lotnika
WŁATCY MÓCH: ONE
08.09.2024 1 (128) A new life Nowe rzycie
08.09.2024 2 (129) Music Mózyka
15.09.2024 3 (130) A spot Miejscufka
15.09.2024 4 (131) Heart in darkness/Testicle in darkness Jondro w ciemności

Interesting sections of Lordz o' Flys

  • The 32nd episode's title "Gigant" is ambiguous. Though the semantic meaning is simply "a giant", the term has an associative meaning in Polish slang wherein it signifies "a run-away". It is the latter that is most likely the intended meaning of the authors.
  • The 66th episode's title is "Wioha" - it is a pejorative term for "village".
  • The 76th episode's title is "Chjóston, ja pierdziu"; Chjóston does mean Houston, and "ja pierdziu" is milder form from "ja pierdole" (oh fuck!)
  • The 90th episode's title - "Matka bosa" - is a pun on "Matka Boska" - Mother of God.
  • In the 105 episode's title, the word "pierwiosnek" can be read as primrose, but it is also a pun from the word "pierwiastek" - element.

Pronunciation

edit

Many of the titles have intentional spelling mistakes in the Polish original, as Czesio is the narrator and has a tendency to misspell words. Though these are mostly there for comedic effect, they do expose some interesting redundancies in the Polish spelling system, which is riddled with traditional forms of spelling that no longer have a phonological basis. One should keep in mind that despite the fact the shows spellings are regarded as incorrect by language purists, they often reflect the actual pronunciation of the words in question. Some examples include:

"Próhnica" instead of "Próchnica" (meaning "tooth decay") etc. The digraph "ch" represents a voiceless velar fricative whereas the graph "h" is an obsolete spelling from Old Polish that used to stand for a voiced glottal fricative; today, this form of pronunciation is present only is certain dialects of Polish, most notably the dialect of Podhale.

"Móch" instead of "Much" (which is the plural, genitive of "mucha", meaning "fly"). In Polish there are two graphemes that realise the close back rounded vowel phoneme; this is a remnant from Old Polish phonology, where the diacritic-o (ó) was used to express a long close mid rounded vowel. Today this spelling variation is obsolete.

Additionally, several spelling mistakes arise from devoicing, such as "krfawy" instead of "krwawy", or allophonic processes, as in "ałtobus" instead of "autobus"("ł" is presently pronounced as a glide vowel, similar to the English "w", though until the end of World War II it used to be a velarised alveolar liquid, or so called "dark-l"; this is still audible in various Polish black and white films from that time, during which the English "belt" and Polish "bełt", meaning "crossbow bolt", would be pronounced all but identically).

Most misspellings arise from true pronunciation, but some derive from hypercorrection, such as: "Memęto Mori" for "Memento mori".

Feature film

edit

Włatcy móch: Ćmoki, czopki i mondzioły [pl] – a 2009 animated feature-length movie

Włatcy Móch: One

edit

From 2018, information about the return of the series began to appear. In March 2018, TV4 on its 18th birthday made a promotional spot in which Czesio appears with Przekliniak. On January 4, 2019, the official website of the series was created on Facebook. On January 14, 2019, a music video with the characters of the series entitled: "Włatcy Móch: One – Dojrzywanie" appeared on the YouTube channel of Polsat. In August 2019, the 18th episode of the new series was leaked to the internet, and a year later, the episode 19 with an unknown name, which had already been deleted, accidentally appeared on the internet. At the end of March 2020. TV4 on the occasion of its 20th birthday launched a special spot.[7][8] The spot contained roadside advertisements presenting the channel's shows and programming. At the 00:19 mark, there is a picture of Czesio with the words "Włatcy móch One WIELKI POWRÓT NIEDZIELA 20:00" ("Włatcy móch One BIG RETURN, SUNDAY 20:00") and the station's logo, and at 00:42 on the right hand side building, there is a caricature of Czesio.

On July 1st, 2024, on the official TV4's Facebook page, the premiere date of Włatcy Móch: One was announced as September 8, 2024.[9] and it took place on the said day with two episodes: Nowe Rzycie (A new life) and Mózyka (Music).

Prizes

edit
Year Ceremony Category Result
2008 Festiwal Dobrego Humoru TV series Special Prize
2008 Świry TV series Won
2009 Świry TV series Won

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e "FilmPolski.pl - WŁATCY MÓCH". FilmPolski.pl. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Polski "South Park" w TV 4". WirtualneMedia. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Włatcy Móch: One - oficjalna strona serialu - TV4". TV4. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  4. ^ This episode was banned between 2007–2012
  5. ^ This is the non-canon episode
  6. ^ This is the final episode of the show.
  7. ^ "20th anniversary of TV4 channel/60". Vimeo. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Spot wizerunkowy z okacji 20 lat TV4". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  9. ^ "WIELKI POWRÓT! ANUSIAK, KONIECZKO, MAŚLANA i CZESIO". Facebook. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
edit