Sapotis
This is a topic that keeps coming up, so I figured I’d write it down here. Basically, ever since the Miraculous Ladybug episode “Sapotis”, where Alya introduced us to the concept of “Sapotis”, a sort of trickster-gremlin from creole folklore (Alya is from Martinique), everybody has been asking about more background information from that myth. The problem is that if you google it, almost all information just leads back to this episode; even the (fairly small and limited) french Wikipedia has nothing better. But there are some sources.
In particular interesting is this:
https://www.montraykreyol.org/article/traditions-orales-aux-antilles-francaises
(The link https://montraykreyol.org/sites/default/files/traditions_orales_aux_antilles_francaises.pdf appears to be a PDF version of the same page, it has the exact same content.)
According to it:
- ti sapoti : les ti-sapoti ont la forme de petits lutins qui se déplacent en groupe dans les bois. Ils se plaisent à jouer des tours : prétextant une faiblesse physique , ils demandent à ceux qu’ils ont abordé de les porter, mais deviennent de plus en plus pesants dans les bras de leurs porteurs. Ils aiment torturer la tranquillité des demeures la nuit par leurs cris et leurs vacarmes.
In english (as good as I can translate it):
- ti sapoti: The ti-sapoti have the form of small goblins that move in groups through the woods. They lick to play tricks: They pretend to be weak and ask people to carry them, but get more and more heavy in the arms of their carriers. They like to disturb the peace and quiet of homes in the night with their cries and uproar.
With the “ti sapoti” term, there are a bit more sources, but not super many (in particular since there appears to be a french song with that name as well). For example, on http://mythesetlegendesantillaises.simplesite.com/441566462 you can find:
Le Baclou
Appelé aussi « gnome visqueux », il est spécifique à la Guyane et serait la création de personnes cherchant à nuire ou à s’enrichir. Par exemple, à Cayenne, on dit qu’un commerce qui fonctionne très bien cache sous la caisse ou son comptoir un Baclou ! En retour, en cas de réussite, il peut demander l’âme d’un proche (sœur, frère, parent, enfant). On dit qu’il est très laid, mesure moins d’1 mètre, a l’allure humaine, et a les pieds retournés, mais il peut prendre la forme d’un enfant se transformant progressivement. Aux Antilles il est appelé "Ti Sapoti".
This one describes a single creature, the “Baclou”, and says that on the Antilles (which includes Martinique) it is called “Ti Sapoti” instead.
On http://ile-en-ile.org/bebel-gisler-dass/, there is a small story (extract from a larger book) about someone who's grandmother told them fairy tales about, among other things, Ti Sapoti, once again mentioning that it grows heavier in the arms of whoever pities and carries it.
Honestly, finding good sources for this is surprisingly hard. I’m sure there must be scholarly books about this, but they’re most likely in french, in french libraries somewhere, and I don’t have access to them (nor do I speak french well enough). What seems to be clear:
Sapoti is a real legend that matches with Alya’s origin from Martinique
The real term appears to be “Ti Sapoti”, and sources differ on whether it is one or multiple.
The details of what was in the show appears to be at least partially made up; none of the very very limited sources I found mention anything about hunger or multiplication
My guess is that the show’s writers decided they wanted to highlight this probably relatively unknown piece of folklore from a place that is technically part of France, but that most french people (let alone fans of the show elsewhere) are probably not aware of. And that is a good thing! But it would have been even better if they provided some more information for those who are curious somewhere.
