Short answers, pulled from the story.
Barbapapa was created by Annette Tison and Talus Taylor, a French-American couple living in Paris, and first published in 1970. The character's name derives from "Barbe à papa," the French word for cotton candy, after Talus Taylor overheard the phrase in the Luxembourg Garden in May 1970.
Barbapapa and Barbamama have seven children. The sons are Barbabravo (red, sports), Barbabright (blue, science), Barbazoo (yellow, nature), and Barbabeau (black and furry, art). The daughters are Barbalala (green, music), Barbabelle (purple, beauty), and Barbalib (orange, intellectual pursuits).
The first Barbapapa animated series aired in France, Britain, and the Netherlands in 1974, with Japan following in 1977. The original series produced one hundred five-minute episodes across two seasons.
The Barbapapa book series has been translated into more than 30 languages. The animated series has been dubbed into at least five separate English versions alone.
Barbapapa comes from "Barbe à papa," the French term for cotton candy. The phrase translates literally as "Daddy's beard."
The original Barbapapa animated series continues to air in France, Italy, and El Salvador. A newer series, Barbapapa: One Big Happy Family!, produced in 2019 by Normaal Animation, airs on TF1 in France, Yle TV2 in Finland, and on Nick Jr in countries including Poland.