A Dutch-Japanese collaboration brought a chaotic animal farm to global television screens in 1987.

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Ox Tales, known in Japan as Geragera Būsu Monogatari, is an animated series featuring a sprawling menagerie led by a well-meaning but clumsy ox. This international project combined Dutch comic roots with Japanese animation, resulting in a surreal, fourth-wall-breaking comedy that remains a unique relic of late-eighties television.

The series originated from the creative minds of Wil Raymakers and Thijs Wilms, whose comic strip Boes provided the foundation for the show. Produced through a partnership between Telecable Benelux B.V. and the animation studio Telescreen Japan, the program aired on TV Tokyo from April 7, 1987, until March 29, 1988. It comprised 102 short segments, typically packaged as 51 half-hour broadcasts. The production involved a complex international team, including directors Hiroshi Sasagawa and Maki Nakahara, and featured a distinct musical score by Shinsuke Kazato.

At the heart of the narrative is the Funny Farm, a chaotic sanctuary home to an eclectic mix of creatures. Boes, the titular ox—renamed Ollie in the initial 1989 English dub—manages the property with good intentions, though his actions frequently lead to unintended complications. He is joined by a colorful cast, including a shell-shattered turtle named Tad, a fire-fighting elephant named Edward, and a sarcastic Toco toucan named Towilla. Towilla serves as the series narrator, frequently breaking the fourth wall to comment on the unfolding absurdity.

The show is defined by its eccentric character dynamics, which range from a mountain gorilla unaware of his own strength to a skunk with a penchant for public flatulence. Despite the presence of predators like a hungry saltwater crocodile and a greedy grizzly bear, the farm remains a place of slapstick conflict rather than genuine danger. The series has seen multiple iterations, including a 2010 English dub by m4e, ensuring that the legacy of this bizarre, cross-cultural experiment continues to reach new audiences decades after its original run.

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