"The Calabash Brothers" is one of the most successful and popular original animations in China. Released in 1986, the 13-episode animation series was translated into seven different languages.

In the series, there were two demons jailed in the Calabash Mountains until a pangolin drilled a hole into the slope. The two spirits escaped from the cave and caused grave harm to the nearby residents. The only way to defeat these two spirits was to grow calabashes in seven colors. An old man planted seven calabashes, each a different color of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. After they ripened, they fell off their stems to the ground and transformed into seven boys. These boys annihilated the two spirits.

It has received a variety of domestic and international rewards. It also has a sequel and film.