09

Every year, International Cat Day is observed on 8 August. So, what better timing to celebrate the fictional (onscreen) cat – Sagwa, the Chinese-Siamese cat. Sagwa, the Chinese-Siamese cat is a book-to-small-screen adaptation, targeted at children between the ages of five and eight. The 1994 book was written by American-Chinese author Amy Tan. The animated episodic series was produced by CinéGroupe, a Canada-based animation studio and Sesame Workshop, which created Sesame Street.

In Malaysia, in the 2000s, the series was aired through a children’s television channel, available to satellite television subscribers.

The display of various elements of the Chinese culture makes it different from other series, which typically offers moral lessons for children.

Sagwa is an easier name to spell for a global audience, compared to the actual Chinese characters sha gua, which means “silly”. Sagwa is around the ages of six to 10, and initially has pure white fur. Her Siamese cat markings came after falling into an inkpot. Though she is often bossy, Sagwa is also kind, curious, and creative.

The theme song is iconic in the sense that it treats Sagwa as a companion, best friend. Best of all, it is partly in Chinese and partly in English, to balance out being relevant for a global audience as well as preserving Chinese elements.

Set circa 1895-1912 during the late Qing Dynasty , Sagwa has fun as an animal, while teaching and learning about loyalty and familial aspects such as filial piety. Sagwa’s residence is within a palace of a magistrate in China – in what is thought to be the modern-day Fujian provinces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Republic of China, based on what the characters don in the show. Sagwa is part of a royal family of cats that has the capability to write with their tails. Sagwa and her siblings are named after fruits or vegetables (for example, watermelon or winter melon) in Chinese that hold meaning to the Chinese community, especially if you’re aware of the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Sagwa along with the other allies, including Fu Fu, (lucky bat in Chinese) and various other cats will have adventures.

Mandarin Chinese terms of respect like Nai Nai , Yeh Yeh, and Ayi also form part of the animal character names. Yes, the Chinese terms are complicated (especially to non-speakers), but there is a certain level of difference when calling your grandmother or grandfather using such terms.
 

Sagwa was born in the Year of the Dog.

The series had 40 episodes and did not continue after just one season. However, reruns were played.
 

In episode 4077 (air date circa 2004) of Sesame Street, Amy Tan appeared and is seen reading her book to characters Elmo and Zoe from Sesame Street. Elmo was experiencing unfair treatment by another character. This shows how much of an impact the story has on young minds and popular culture.

According to an interview in 2002, Tan had to remove herself as a much older person whilst writing (and re-writing) the story so that she could connect with the perspective needed for the book so that it will also resonate with the intended audience. Tan was also surprised, shock and happy to see the book come to life, as there are elements that are more tastefully expressed in the visual medium than in the written form.

In 2018, the unforgettable theme music was posted on Buzzfeed and it went viral, achieving a reach of 14 000 people in 10 days.