History Series / LosLunnis

'''Los Lunnis''' is a Spanish children's television show in the vein of ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. Probably the most famous and successful in the history of Spain's television, it started in 2003 and is still active today.

** Count Ludovico, an episodic villain, is probably a reference to a similarly named character in Lope de Vega's famous play ''The Dog in the Manger''.

* TakeThat: A ReadingIsCoolAesop episode had Lucho suffering a magical disease come from too little reading and too much watching a supposedly violent TV show named ''Dragon Sphere''. Naturally, this was a massive (and rather lame) attack on competitor TV channel Cuatro, which was famously broadcasting ''Franchise/DragonBall'' uncensored at the time. The plot was so atypical and badly done in contrast to most of the series that many people have suspected over the years there was some huge executive meddling at it. (It was also a bit hypocritical as well, given that TVE itself had broadcast a long list of anime series through it history, and having titles like ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' and ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' among them meant the channel was not precisely in position to criticize violent anime).

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Granted, the 2016 segment ''Lunnis de Leyenda'' was never really faithful to the legends and history pieces it portrayed, but its recollection of the [[UsefulNotes/PunicWars Second Punic War]] was particularly infamous. It portrays the war almost exactly backwards, claiming that Scipio had tried to conquer the world and that Hannibal and his army had tried to preserve their freedom from him, and it also adds a {{Bowdlerized}} ending where the war ended peacefully with the Battle of Zama having been a failure for both.
* BigBad: Initially the show didn't have one, but Lucanero came to play that role in the series. The Masked Beetle replaced him after the retool.

* MadScientist: Luspector, a sporadically recurrent villain who was an ancient college rival of Lutecio.

** Lunni reporter Luflo was obviously based on Spanish comedian Florentino "Flo" Fernández, both in name and visual design. However, this trait seemed to be meaningless, as it had no further weight in his character (he didn't actually behave or speak like the real Flo at all), as well as a bit random (he was the only of the Lunni reporters who was clearly based on a real life person).

* ParentalBonus: Played in an uniquely exaggerated way. The series contained an extraordinary number of references to timeless pop culture that few children in the 2000s would have been remotely able to identify (see ShoutOut below). Some of them were so shocking and risqué that the showrunners would have ''absolutely'' not get away with them in present day Spain.

** Lubina and Lutecio arguing due to their constant MagicVersusScience views. Who ended up proving their point over the other, however, depended on the episode.

** Lumbrela finding a boyfriend, yet losing him at the end of the episode, often because he was the episode's villain or because Lumbrela's personality was so annoying that he ran away from her.

* TakeThat: A ReadingIsCoolAesop episode had Lucho suffering a magical disease come from too little reading and too much watching a supposedly violent TV show named ''Dragon Sphere''. Naturally, this was a massive (and rather lame) attack on competitor TV channel Cuatro, which was famously broadcasting ''Franchise/DragonBall'' uncensored at the time. The plot was so atypical and badly done in contrast to most of the series that many people have suspected over the years there was some huge executive meddling at it. (It was also a bit hypocritical as well, given that TVE itself had broadcasted a long list of animes through it history, and having names like ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' and ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' among them meant the channel was not precisely in position to criticize violent anime).

Originally conceived by Televisión Española screenwriters Carmina Roig and Daniel Cerdà, ''Los Lunnis'' had a tough start, as it came to replace the cult children's show ''TPH Club'' in what was effectively an executive war inside TVE. However, and against the predictions of many who considered the new show too childish and outdated in comparison to its predecessor, it soon overshadowed completely ''TPH'' and became a televisive juggernaut, spawning songs, series, movies and even an entirely new channel, Clan TV, the new mainstay of children's programming in Spain. With its long tenure and cultural impact, which included its characters being officially named ambassadors of UNICEF of all things in 2005, ''Los Lunnis'' are what most modern Spanish Millenials see when they think about the TV of their childhood.

** Lunni reporter Luflo was obviously based on Spanish comedian Florentino "Flo" Fernández, both in name and visual design. However, this trait was raher meaningless, as it had no further weight in his character (he didn't actually behave or speak like the real Flo at all), as well as a bit random (he was the only of the Lunni reporters who was clearly based on a real life person).

* SpellMyNameWithAS: It remains unclear whether Lutecio's spider was named Luraña or Lulaña. Promotional materials indicate the former, but in the series she was addressed as the latter.

* TakeThat: A ReadingIsCoolAesop episode had Lucho suffering a magical disease come from too little reading and too much watching a supposedly violent TV show named ''Dragon Sphere''. Naturally, this was a massive (and rather lame) attack on competitor TV channel Cuatro, which was famously broadcasting ''Franchise/DragonBall'' uncensored at the time. The plot was so atypical and badly done in contrast to most of the series that many people have suspected over the years there was some huge executive meddling at it. (It was also a bit hypocritical as well, given that TVE itself had broadcasted a long list of animes through it history, and having names like ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' and ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' among them meant the channel was not precisely in position to criticize violent anime).

''Los Lunnis'''s charm came not only from its creativity and marketing power, but also from the sheer charisma of its characters and performers, its surprisingly smart episode plots, and the metric crapton of ParentalBonus the show usually contained, to the extent that even teenagers and adults enjoyed it openly and unironically. It also served to both launch and relaunch the career of some guests (particularly Spanish-Cuban singer Lucrecia, who conducted the show at several stages), and this goes without mentioning the show's positively famed Christmas specials, which brought to TVE names like Music/RobbieWilliams, Music/{{Coldplay}} and Music/{{Shakira}}. The show's own soundtrack won eight Platinum Discs and was number one in sales in Spain thrice, among other many accolades both in music and as a whole.

The show's golden age ended in 2008 with the finale of its main episodic TV series, ''Los Lunnis: La Serie'', and the first departure of its host Lucrecia the next year, after which it did a ChannelHop from La 2 to Clan TV. The show underwent a huge retool, losing most of its puppet cast and adding a couple new ones, giving slightly new characterizations and storylines to the remaining (which basically amounted to the protagonist gang and some others), and adopting a less serial, more educative style of broadcast.

* BigBad: Initially the show didn't have one, but soon Lucanero came to play that role. The Masked Beetle replaced him after the retool.
* FemmeFatale: Lunática was the classical noir archetype, only with magical powers thanks to an amulet she stole from Lubina in the past.

** Lunni reporter Luflo was obviously based on Spanish comedian Florentino "Flo" Fernández, both in name and visual design. However, this trait was pretty meaningless, as it had no further weight in his character (he didn't actually behave or speak like the real Flo at all), as well as a bit random (as he was the only of the Lunni reporters who was clearly based on a real life person).

* ParentalBonus: Played in an uniquely exaggerated way. The series contained an extraordinarily high number of plot references to timeless pop culture that few children in the 2000s would have been remotely able to identify (see ShoutOut below), and some of them you could only get away with in the 2000s' Spain.

** Lublú doing or saying something cultured and artistic, only for the rest of characters to misunderstand it and/or ruin it. This actually composed the plot of many, many of his appearances.

** Lutecio being utterly obssessed with hens and eggs, as in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_or_the_egg chiken or the egg dilemma]].

** The Lunni kids laughing at Lucanero's fake OverlyLongName, Lucas Elton Marvin Lucanero.

** Many popular films, books and franchises were parodied in dedicated episodes, among them ''Franchise/StarWars'' (several times), ''Film/TheMatrix'' (as ''Lunatrix'', with the same episode also spoofing other {{Cyberpunk}} tropes), Franchise/JamesBond (as ''Lulo Bond''), Literature/PhilipMarlowe (as ''Lublú Lumarlowe''), the ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' (the ''Lunni Rangers''), ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' (in ''The Lunalunera Monster''), ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' (with the characters of Count Ludrácula and Luvan Helsing), ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' (''Planet of the Lurdos''), ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' (in the episode aptly titled ''We'll always have Paris''), ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' and ''Film/TheExorcist'' (with the character of Ambrosio), as well as real people like Creator/BruceLee ("Lucho Lee") and Music/FrankSinatra ("Frank Lunatra").

The show's golden age ended in 2008 with the finale of its main episodic TV series, ''Los Lunnis: La Serie'', and the first departure of its host Lucrecia the next year. With the show's ChannelHop from La 2 to Clan TV, it underwent a huge retool, losing most of its puppet cast and adding a couple new ones, giving slightly new characterizations and storylines to the remaining (which basically amounted to the protagonist gang and some others), and adopting a less serial, more educative style of broadcast.

* TakeThat: A ReadingIsCoolAesop episode had Lucho suffering a magical disease come from too little reading and too much watching a supposedly violent TV show named ''Dragon Sphere''. Naturally, this was a massive (and rather lame) attack on competitor TV channel Cuatro, which was famously broadcasting ''Franchise/DragonBall'' uncensored at the time. The plot was so atypical and badly done in contrast to most of the series that many people have suspected over the years there was some huge ExecutiveMeddling at it. (It was also a bit hypocritical as well, given that TVE itself had broadcasted a long list of animes through it history, and having names like ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' and ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' among them meant the channel was not precisely in position to criticize violent anime).

* ParentalBonus: Played in an uniquely exaggerated way. The series contained an extraordinarily high number of plot references to timeless pop culture that few children in the 2000s would have been remotely able to identify (see ShoutOut below), and some of them qualified as GettingCrapPastTheRadar in ways you could only get away with in the 2000s' Spain.

[[caption-width-right:310:The inhabitants of Lunalunera.[[note]]From top to the bottom, left to right: Lupita, Lulo, Lula, Lublu, Lucho, Lulia, Lutecio and Lubina.[[/note]]]]

It tells the life and adventures of a community of colourful beings named Lunnis, who live in a planetoid near Earth named Lunalunera (who might or not might bean to be the moon). The main protagonists are a bunch of local Lunni kids, among which there are Lucho (a mischievous, yellow Lunni), Lupita (a nerdy, uptight Lunny girl), Lublú (a blue and sensitive Lunni poet) and Lulila (the youngest of all, a curious, female purple Lunni). They aren't alone, as Lunaunera houses such characters as the eccentric good witch Lubina, the mad professor Lutecio, the schoolteacher Lumbrela and a pair of Lunni teenagers named Lulo and Lula, as well as the evil galactic pirate Lucanero, who secretly wishes to dominate all Lunalunera. Several human guests appear too, as well as a really long list of episodic characters.

Originally conceived by Televisión Española screenwriters Carmina Roig and Daniel Cerdà, ''Los Lunnis'' had a tough start, as it came to replace the cult children's show ''TPH Club'' in what was effectively an executive war inside TVE. However, and against the predictions of many who considered the new show too childish and outdated compared to its predecessor, it soon overshadowed ''TPH'' completely and became a televisive juggernaut, spawning songs, series, movies and even an entirely new channel, Clan TV, the new mainstay of children's programming in Spain. With its long tenure and cultural impact, which included its characters being officially named ambassadors of UNICEF of all things in 2005, ''Los Lunnis'' are what most modern Spanish Millenials see when they think about the TV of their childhood.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Granted, the 2016 segment ''Lunnis de Leyenda'' was never really faithful to the legends and history pieces it portrayed, but its recollection of the [[UsefulNotes/PunicWars Second Punic War]] was particularly infamous. It portrayed the war almost exactly backwards, claiming that Scipio had tried to conquer the world and that Hannibal and its army had tried to preserve their freedom from him, and it also added a {{Bowdlerized}} ending where the war was ended peacefully with the Battle of Zama having been a failure for both.

** The lunni reporter Luflo was obviously based on Spanish comedian Florentino "Flo" Fernández, both in name and visual design. This trait was pretty random, however, as it had no further weigh in his character (he didn't actually behave or speak like the real Flo at all) and he was the only of the lunni reporters who was based on a real life person.
** Almidóvar, a ruthless parody of Spanish film director Creator/PedroAlmodovar.
** Also Jon Toms, who was a hilarious parody of Music/TomJones.
* ParentalBonus: Played in an uniquely exaggerated way. The series contained an extraordinarily high number of plot references to timeless pop culture that few children in the 2000s would be remotely able to identify (see ShoutOut below), and some of them qualified as GettingCrapPastTheRadar in ways you could only get away with in the 2000s' Spain.

** Lublú doing or saying something cultured and artistic, only for the rest of characters to misunderstand it and/or ruin it. This composed the plot of many, many of his appearances.
** Lubina and Lutecio arguing due to their constant magic vs. science views.
** Lutecio being utterly obssessed with hens and eggs.
** Lumbrela finding a boyfriend, yet losing him at the end of the episode (often because he was the episode's villain or just because Lumbrela was so annoying that he ran away from her).
** The lunni kids laughing at Lucanero's fake OverlyLongName, Lucas Elton Marvin Lucanero.

** Captain Barbarrosa being asked, by any character he finds, whether his beard is naturally pink or dyed (which is also his BerserkButton).

** Many popular films, books and shows were parodied in dedicated episodes, among them ''Franchise/StarWars'' (several times), ''Film/TheMatrix'' (as ''Lunatrix'', with the same episode also parodying other {{Cyberpunk}} tropes), Franchise/JamesBond (as ''Lulo Bond''), Literature/PhilipMarlowe (as ''Lublú Lumarlowe''), the ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' (the ''Lunni Rangers''), ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' (in ''The Lunalunera Monster''), ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' (with the characters of Count Ludrácula and Luvan Helsing), ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' (''Planet of the Lurdos''), ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' (in the episode aptly titled ''We'll always have Paris''), ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' and ''Film/TheExorcist'', as well as real people like Creator/BruceLee ("Lucho Lee") and Music/FrankSinatra ("Frank Lunatra").
* TakeThat: A ReadingIsCoolAesop episode had Lucho suffering a magical disease come from too little reading and too much watching a supposedly violent TV show named ''Dragon Sphere''. Naturally, this was a massive (and rather lame) attack directed against competitor TV channel Cuatro, which was famously broadcasting ''Franchise/DragonBall'' uncensored at the time. The plot was so atypical and badly done in contrast to most of the series that many people have suspected through the years there was some huge ExecutiveMeddling at it. (It was also a bit hypocritical as well, given that TVE itself had broadcasted a long list of animes through it history, and having names like ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' and ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' among them meant the channel was not precisely in position to criticize violent anime).

* AmbiguousSituation: It's not clear if the Headless Horseman chases Lucanero due to his bloodline (as the Horseman was the ArchEnemy of Lucanero's ancestor) or because he genuinely thinks Lucanero ''is'' the same Lucanero he knew back when he was alive.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The 2016 segment ''Lunnis de Leyenda'' was never really faithful to the legends and history pieces it told, but its recollection of the Second Punic War was particularly infamous. It portrayed the war almost exactly backwards, claiming that Scipio had tried to conquer the world and that Hannibal and its army had tried to preserve their freedom, and it also added a {{Bowdlerized}} ending where the war was ended peacefully with the Battle of Zama having been a failure for both.

** The lunni reporter Luflo was obviously based on Spanish comedian Florentino "Flo" Fernández, both in name and visual design. This seemed to be pretty random, however, as it had no weigh in his character (he didn't actually behave or speak like the real Flo at all) and he was the only of the lunni reporters who was based on a real life person.
** Jon Toms, who was a hilarious parody of Music/TomJones.
* ParentalBonus: The series contained an extraordinarily high number of plot references to timeless pop culture that few children in the 2000s would remotely recognize (see ShoutOut below), and some of them qualified as GettingCrapPastTheRadar in ways you could only get away with in the 2000s's Spain.

** Lublú doing or saying something cultured and artistic, only for the rest of characters to misunderstand it and/or ruin it. This even composed the plot of many, many of his appearances.

** Lumbrela finding boyfriend, yet losing him in any way at the end of the episode (often because he was the episode's villain or just because Lumbrela was so annoying that he ran away from her).

** Lurdo being disapprovingly told "Lurdo! You will never manage to be a good pirate!" by Lucanero, often due to a completely minor action.

** The character of Lubina was a non-evil, lunni version of the witch Avería from children's show from TheEighties ''La Bola de Cristal''.
** Many popular films, books and shows were parodied in dedicated episodes, among them ''Franchise/StarWars'' (several times), ''Film/TheMatrix'' (as ''Lunatrix''), Franchise/JamesBond (as ''Lulo Bond''), Literature/PhilipMarlowe (as ''Lublú Lumarlowe''), the ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' (the ''Lunni Rangers''), ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' (in ''The Lunalunera Monster''), ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' (with the characters of Count Ludrácula and Luvan Helsing), ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' (''Planet of the Lurdos''), ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' and ''Film/TheExorcist'', as well as real people like Creator/BruceLee and Music/FrankSinatra.
* TakeThat: An ReadingIsCoolAesop episode had Lucho suffering a magical disease come from too little reading and too much watching a supposedly violent TV show named ''Dragon Sphere''. Naturally, this was a massive (and rather lame) attack directed against competitor TV channel Cuatro, which was famously broadcasting ''Franchise/DragonBall'' uncensored at the time. The plot was so atypical and badly done in contrast to most of the series that many people have suspected through the years there was some huge ExecutiveMeddling at it. (It was also a bit hypocritical as well, given that TVE itself had broadcasted a long list of animes through it history, and having names like ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' and ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' among them meant they were not precisely non-violent kiddie shows).

It tells the life and adventures of a community of colourful beings named Lunnis, who live in a planetoid near Earth named Lunalunera (who might or not might bean to be the moon). The main protagonists are a bunch of local Lunni kids, among which there are Lucho (a mischievous, yellow Lunni), Lupita (a nerdy, uptight Lunny girl), Lublu (a blue and sensitive Lunni poet) and Lulila (the youngest of all, a curious, female purple Lunni). They aren't alone, as Lunaunera houses such characters as the eccentric good witch Lubina, the mad professor Lutecio, the schoolteacher Lumbrela and a pair of Lunni teenagers named Lulo and Lula, as well as the evil galactic pirate Lucanero, who secretly wishes to dominate all Lunalunera. Several human guests appear too, as well as a really long list of episodic characters.

The show's golden age ended in 2008 with the finale of its main episodic TV series, ''Los Lunnis: La Serie'', and the first departure of its host Lucrecia. A couple years later, the show made a ChannelHop from La 2 to Clan TV, also undergoing a huge retool. It lost most of its puppet cast, gave slightly new characterizations and storylines to the remaining (which basically amounted to the protagonist gang and some others), and adopted a less serial, more educative style of broadcast.

* ParentalBonus: An extraordinarily high number of episode plots were built around references to timeless pop culture that few little children in the 2000s would remotely recognize (see ShoutOut below), and some of them qualified as GettingCrapPastTheRadar.

** Many films, books and stories from pop culture were parodied in dedicated episodes, among them ''Franchise/StarWars'', ''Film/TheMatrix'' (as ''Lunatrix''), Franchise/JamesBond (as ''Lulo Bond''), Literature/PhilipMarlowe (as ''Lublú Lumarlowe''), the ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' (the ''Lunni Rangers''), ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' (in ''The Lunalunera Monster''), ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' (with the character of Count Ludrácula), ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'', ''Film/TheExorcist'', as well as real people like Creator/BruceLee, Music/FrankSinatra, Music/TomJones.

The show made a ChannelHop from La 2 to Clan TV in 2010, two years after the finale of its main episodic TV series, ''Los Lunnis: La Serie'', and one year after a huge retool given to the entire show. It lost most of its puppet cast, gave slightly new characterizations and storylines to the remaining (which basically amounted to the protagonist gang and some others), and adopted a less serial, more educative style of broadcast.

* ParentalBonus: An extraordinarily high number of episode plots were built around references to timeless pop culture that few little children in the 2000s would remotely recognize, and some of them qualified as GettingCrapPastTheRadar.

After the show made its ChannelHop from La 2 to Clan TV in 2005, its main episodic TV series, ''Los Lunnis: La Serie'', had its great finale in 2008. The show was retooled the next year, losing most of its puppet cast, giving slightly new characterizations and storylines to the remaining (which basically amounted to the protagonist gang and some others), and adopting a less serial, more educative style of broadcast.

[[caption-width-right:310:The inhabitants of Lunalunera.[[note]]From top to the bottom, left to right: Lupita, Lulo, Lucho, Lula, Lublu, Lutecio, Lulila and Lubina.[[/note]]]]

Originally conceived by Televisión Española screenwriters Carmina Roig and Daniel Cerdà, ''Los Lunnis'' had a tough start, as it came to replace the hit children's show ''TPH Club'' in what was effectively an executive war inside TVE. However, and against the predictions of many who considered the new show too childish and outdated compared to its predecessor, it soon overshadowed ''TPH'' completely and became a televisive juggernaut, spawning songs, series, movies and even an entirely new channel, Clan TV, the new mainstay of children's programming in Spain. With its long tenure and cultural impact, which included being officially named ambassadors of UNICEF of all things in 2005, ''Los Lunnis'' are what most modern Spaniards see when they think about children's shows.

''Los Lunnis'''s charm came not only from its creativity and marketing power, but also from the sheer charisma of its characters and performers, its surprisingly smart episode plots, and the metric crapton of ParentalBonus the show usually contained, to the extent that even teenagers and adults enjoyed it openly and unironically. It also served to both launch and relaunch the career of some guests, particularly Spanish-Cuban singer Lucrecia, who conducted the show at several stages, and this goes without mentioning the show's positively famed Christmas specials, which brought to TVE names like Music/RobbieWilliams, Music/{{Coldplay}} and Music/{{Shakira}}. The show's own soundtrack won eight Platinum Discs and was number one in sales in Spain thrice, among other many accolades both in music and as a whole.

The show was retooled in 2009, four years after its ChannelHop from La 2 to Clan TV, and one year after the finale of its main episodic TV series, ''Los Lunnis: La Serie''. It lost most of its puppet cast, gave slightly new characterizations and storylines to the remaining (which basically amounted to the protagonist gang and some other), and adopted a more segment-based style of broadcast.

* ParentalBonus: An extraordinarily high number of episode plots were built around references to timeless pop culture that few little children would remotely recognize, and some of them qualified as GettingCrapPastTheRadar.