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13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 MARCH 2026 FEATURE MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Frans il-Hamallu returns from his hiatus to a completely new Malta LAWRENCE Gonzi walks up to a ġbejna stand and asks the man behind the stand, "Dawn ġbejniet mgħoxxi?" The ġbejna vendor's immediate reply: "Mela ma' żob- bi?" This joke, which loses its sexual innuendos when translated in- to English, marked the birth, 18 years ago, of Frans il-Ħamallu, a much-loved satirical character created by artist Danny Lesco. Speaking to MaltaToday, Danny says this short skit published in 2008 was inspired by a true story he heard from his father, who had the misfortune of asking a vendor the same ġbejna-related question. What followed was a series of satirical videos that hark back to the final years of the Gonzi administration. For almost two decades, Danny, through Frans, provided tongue-in-cheek social commentary to the amusement of thousands locally. But what made Frans il-Ħamal- lu so popular in the first place? What makes Frans, Frans? Why has Frans never voted in elec- tions? And why did he decide to come back to Maltese screens in 2026 after a five-year hiatus? His creator offered MaltaToday insight into the character in his first media interview. 'I love picking on authority' Danny's love for animation has been present for as long as he can remember. As a child, he says he always remembers him- self drawing something. When he was 13-years-old, his cousin introduced him to an animation software, and he was immediately hooked. Then in 2008, Danny heard his dad recounting his ġbejna sto- ry and couldn't stop laughing. "I have to make this into a cartoon," he thought, and immediately started working on it. When that video went viral and he continued churning out car- toon sketches, Danny says he was still young and somewhat careless of the consequences. "That is why people loved Frans." From the beginning, Danny al- ways intended Frans to be a sa- tirical character commenting on Maltese society, and apart from making people laugh, Danny also wanted to subtly raise awareness on certain issues. "I love picking on authority," Danny says. That feeling was clearly pres- ent in his earlier work, which includes sketches of Lawrence Gonzi and Alfred Sant being in- terviewed in front of the infamous 'penis-shaped' Luqa monument, Frans and his friend commenting on the 2009 MEP elections, and poking fun at local TV stations and their programmes. 'I've always wanted to bring Frans back' Danny told MaltaToday that af- ter some eight years of developing Frans il-Ħamallu, he decided that he wanted to make a living out of animation, but at the time, there were very few opportunities to monetise such productions do- mestically. He explained that he turned his attention to projects which gar- nered international attention and managed to create projects such as HerbalToons, an animation series with over 1.2 million sub- scribers on Youtube. Nowadays, Danny moved on from Herbal- Toons, and after selling the chan- nel he could finally bring Frans back, because according to him, "art isn't just a way to make a liv- ing, it's who I am." While his other ventures brought him success internation- ally, Danny describes feeling it was his duty to produce art for his home country. "Frans remained a part of who I am," he says, adding that people were begging him to bring the character back. And so, he did, but he decided to fully commit himself to Frans il-Ħamallu, make him better than ever, and monetise his work while keeping the character authentic. A modern Frans for modern times Malta in 2026 might as well be a completely different planet when compared to the same country when Frans il-Ħamallu debuted. But as Malta changed, so too did Frans and his adventures. Like most of us, Frans spends more time stuck in traffic and long queues at government of- fices. In his return video, Frans smokes a joint legally and enjoys a coffee on his balcony while look- ing out at the view of a high-rise and cranes standing high above his village. As he tries to enjoy some peace after serving a prison sentence for failure to pay tax, he is interrupt- ed by a cacophony of noise from a nearby construction site. As Malta changed, Danny ex- plains, Frans now has a complete- ly new array of topics to comment on. At the time of writing, his last sketch focused on influencers and the banality of content on social media. Danny also mentions the phe- nomenon of doom scrolling and children's constant need to be looking at a screen as sources of inspiration. Frans il-Hamallu is a non-voter Looking ahead, Danny tells Mal- taToday he is hesitant to focus too much on politics, as he describes Frans (and himself) as some- one who is against authority, a non-voter, and disillusioned with party politics. "Frans is an extension of my- self," Danny says. Indeed, Danny too has never voted in his life. When asked about his anti-au- thority views that shape the char- acter, Danny explains that he never felt represented by Malta's political parties. He also points to the fact that he is self-employed and somewhat reserved as he is focuses on his art. "I don't really benefit from the parties; I just pay taxes," he jokes. At the end of the day, Danny is proud of his work, especially in light of the positive feedback he receives from fans. "This is what I live for. Art has great power in society. I see this as a career, but also something which brings unity instead of di- vision, something that can raise awareness." Danny Lesco