Rock et Belles Oreilles

Rock et Belles Oreilles (RBO) was a Québécois radio, television and stage comedy group that was very popular in the essentially French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec during the 1980s and 1990s. Its name was a pun on the name of the famous Hanna-Barbera blue dog character Huckleberry Hound ("Roquet Belles Oreilles" in French). The group was formed in 1981. The original lineup consisted of Guy A. Lepage, Yves P. Pelletier, Bruno E. Landry, André G. Ducharme, Richard Z. Sirois and Chantal Francke. Sirois left the group in 1987, and Francke left in 1992. The group separated in 1995. RBO specialized in performing parodies of well-known advertisements, TV shows and movies, as well as impersonating politicians, showbiz stars and various famous people. They quickly became known for being highly politically incorrect. Many of their sketches poked fun at English Canadians, though this was counterbalanced by making fun of Quebec nationalists and political icons such as René Lévesque as well. They also caused a few scandals with sketches involving feces, super-Jesus, dildos or the Holocaust. One of their most famous recurring sketches, "Bonjour la police", was about police officers who were always eating doughnuts and coffee at Dunkin' Donuts instead of working; a song written by the group (also titled "Bonjour la police") was based on these sketches. Team member Guy A. Lepage became in the early 2000s a media mogul and TV series director, very popular on the Quebec entertainment scene, with popular series such as the sitcom Un gars, une fille and the talk-show Tout le monde en parle, based on a popular French TV show with the same title. Most other members were stand-up comics or talk-show hosts in the early 2000s. Rock et Belles Oreilles came back for a New Year's Eve special on December 31, 2006, "Le Bye Bye de RBO" and did it again in 2007.