The Triplets and the incredible shrinking narrative: playing in the borderland between transmedia storytelling and adaptation

Abstract

This chapter is devoted to the narrative world of The Triplets, one of the most internationally acclaimed Catalan audio-visual productions. In addition to the cultural and commercial significance of this narrative world, during almost three decades the adventures of these three sisters have unfolded across different media, giving birth to one of the richest transmedia experiences in Spain. The Triplets brand is so well known by children and respected by families that companies like Danone have developed marketing campaigns with the characters. From among the many possible gateways to the world of transmedia narratives, in this text I chose to analyse a portion of this extensive textual universe from a perspective that integrates semiotics and narratology. This study is part of a larger research project that covers other types of stories ‒ parodies, reality shows, late night shows, advertising campaigns, etc. ‒ produced in Catalonia, some of which are also broadcast on Spanish and international channels (Scolari et al., 2011). The research was exploratory in nature due to the characteristics of the study object and its relative novelty in the Spanish media landscape. The main objective, in addition to a first recognition of a set of transmedia works, was to test a series of analytical and theoretical tools by applying them to different narratives. While building the corpus of the analysis, and considering the exploratory nature of the study, it was decided to ‘probe’ the Catalan audiovisual production territory and identify a set of texts that, at first glance, appeared as the most interesting from a transmedia perspective.