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A YouTube video posted by an Indonesian toy enthusiast has gone viral in Malaysia after an invited guest claimed that Upin & Ipin was originally from Indonesia
In a reuploaded video shared on Threads, the guest, believed to be a guide at a toy museum, claimed that the iconic twin brothers characters were originally a single character named Arifin.
According to the guest, the character was created by young animators in Bandung and Jakarta in 2008, who allegedly tried pitching the intellectual property (IP) to a TV station but were rejected because live-action shows were more popular at the time.
The guest further claimed that the Arifin character was later "split" into two before being "improved".
"So after that, it was bought by… Malaysia?" asked the YouTuber, in which the guest replied, "Yes, and they waited for two to three years."
"That's a shame. So, the licence is now held by Malaysia?" asked the YouTuber, with the guest responding, "It's with Les' Copaque."
The guest concluded that instances like Upin & Ipin are why they sometimes fail to appreciate their own stories.
You can watch the clip here:
View on Threads
At the time of writing, the clip has gone viral, while the original full-length video has been taken down from YouTube
Speaking to Berita Harian on Monday, 18 May, Les' Copaque Production founder and managing director Datuk Burhanuddin Md Radzi described claims that the IP was purchased from Indonesia as "completely untrue".
According to Burhanuddin, the animated series about the antics of twin brothers Upin and Ipin has been produced since 2007 and was developed entirely by Malaysians.
"Regarding the issue, only they are making such claims, saying the animation was created earlier and then taken back by us. When did that happen?
"Back in 2007, we had already released Upin & Ipin. This animation is our own creation, so there is no question of taking or borrowing rights," Burhanuddin added.
On Les' Copaque Production's website, Burhanuddin and his wife, Hajah Ainon, are credited as the co-writers behind Upin & Ipin, which first appeared in Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula before spinning off into its own series.
"The now-iconic animated twin boys Upin and Ipin were chosen to star in their own series because they were easy to model and animate — they have no hair (although Upin does have one wiry strand) and possess the same features.
"The content and storyline for Upin & Ipin the series were co-written and supervised by Burhanuddin and his wife, Hajah Ainon," reads the website.
