Helen Berria is used to hearing from people that they grew up on "hey hey". One of the most exciting meetings for her was with Yuval Noah Harari. "He told me that watching 'He Was He - The Man' made him want to be a historian. It was a great honor for me. Many people told me similar things, and I know that since time immemorial, teachers have been using the series as part of lessons. I remember my teachers always said that television is A waste of time - except for 'Haye Haye', which is recommended viewing."
"Hiyyyyy - Man", which dealt with human history, appeared in France in 1978 and on Israeli educational television a year later, and became a cult in these two countries as well as in many other countries. After that, the brand "Hiyah Hiy" spawned six sequel series, for example "Hiyah Hiy - Hayim".
The creator of these series was Helen's partner, Albert Berria. After his death in 2009, she took the reins of the production. Initially, she focused on preserving the legacy of her former partner, and now, for the first time, she produced a new series, "Hiyah Hih - The Objects", which appears with us exclusively on Hot. The series will be released tomorrow (Wednesday 10.4) on Hot and Yodi Young and Next TV, and will be available there along with all the previous series in the brand.
The legendary series is back, in line with the TikTok generation. From "He was - the objects"/courtesy of HOT young and NEXT TV
As its name implies, in each episode the series presents the history of two objects - so, for example, the first episodes tell us about the birth and development of football, chocolate, bicycles and toilets. As usual in the "Once upon a time" brand, the series does this animatedly and with a lot of humor, as the history lesson is led by the one and only Astro, with his long white beard. Of course, "Hiyah Hih - The Objects" will be screened here with a Hebrew dubbing, and it should be noted that, as is the best tradition, it is an exception.
"Children's brains are like sponges - they absorb everything, the good and the bad, so you have to bring them the best. That's why Albert worked with a musician on the same level as Michel Legrand, who unfortunately is also gone, and that's why we always chose The best voice actors there are," says Beria in a telephone conversation.
"Children are the adults of tomorrow and they are going to run our planet, so we need to respect and nurture them" she continues. I love Israel, and if I may say, you are in a complicated situation that makes me very sad. I think the series brings a message of peace, because it brings a message of wisdom. We fight against fake news, and give children tools to fight against ignorance. I think that learning and knowledge ultimately help to bring peace."
How did you work on the investigation for the series?
"For Alber and for me, reliable information was a top value. Behind the series was a scientific council, including six experts. Every time I contacted one of them, he told me, 'Look, we are very busy, but you can't say 'no' to a series like 'Hiya Hiya'. If the maestro asks us for something, we must say yes.' For each of the objects, we built a research file with many pages, and then we had to think about how to compress all this information into seven-minute episodes, some of which are comedic landings."
To be honest, I made a little face when I realized that each of the episodes about the objects is only seven minutes long. It's a capitulation to the Tiktok generation's low concentration threshold. What's the next step - three-minute episodes?
"No no, no need to exaggerate. Three minutes is already a fraction of an episode, it's too little. On the other hand, it was impossible to make 26-minute episodes like before - it's simply not suitable for today's children."
"I love Israel." Helen Berria/Courtesy of HOT young and NEXT TV
How did you maintain the balance between preserving the heritage and modernizing it?
"The feeling was that we were dealing with a monument. We were reverent, but we also changed things. The opening music is still Bach's music, but in a different version. Maestro is the good old maestro, with the legendary beard, but he too was given a slightly more modern look. Avner, It's very important to me that you write something like this: We created the series so that adults can watch it with their children. It was important to us to keep the basics of 'once upon a time' for the old fans."
How did you choose the objects?
"There are 78 objects in the series. We wanted universal things, which are known all over the world - that's why we started with the chocolate. There is no object that is mainly relevant to Europe."
So there are no chapters on baguettes and croissants.
"No, it's on a lollipop."
Are there things that should not be discussed with children?
"On the contrary. You have to respect them. They are not stupid. You have to tell them what life is. You just have to do it gently. In 'Hiya Hiya - Adam' they saw war and saw death. Our company also produces audio books. One of them deals with the question of how to have children And we also talked about same-sex couples and how they have children. After all, a child sees that one of the girls in kindergarten has two mothers, and then he asks himself how his girlfriend was born. He deserves to know. Children must not be underestimated, and it must not be hidden."
What information surprised you the most in the investigation of the objects?
"It was interesting to hear about the toothbrush. At one point in history, people carried it around as a status symbol, to be proud of having the money to buy one, but they didn't use it because it was full of microbes."
Were you aware of the success of the series in Israel?
"The truth is, it is, and it excites me very much."
"As a punishment for not adoring the series in real time, now I have to spend my whole life with it." From "He was - the objects"/courtesy of HOT young and NEXT TV
Are there any countries where the series did not make waves?
"Yes, including in huge territories like India and China, where it is not known at all. I still hope that one day we will break through there too."
Do you remember the first time you watched one of the series of "Hiya Hiya"?
"Do you want to hear something funny? In our childhood, my brother was a fan of the series, and I didn't like it at first. My brother always laughs and says - as a punishment for not admiring the series in real time, now I have to spend my whole life with it."
More on the same topic:
Once Upon a Time
HOT
Yuval Noah Harari