Annette Tison was a French author and illustrator, best known as the co-creator of the beloved children's book and anime series Barbapapa. Born on December 27, 1942, in Hossegor, a coastal town in the Aquitaine region of France, she was the daughter of a construction site manager. Tison initially pursued a career in architecture, moving to Paris in 1965 to study at the École Spéciale d’Architecture, from which she graduated in 1968.

While in Paris, Tison met Talus Taylor, an American biology teacher. Their professional and personal partnership led to the creation of the Barbapapa series. The inspiration came in 1970 while they were walking in the Luxembourg Garden, where a child asking for barbe à papa, the French term for cotton candy or candy floss, sparked the idea for a pink, shape-shifting character. The first Barbapapa picture book was published on May 19, 1970. This initial work launched a series of children's books that were eventually translated into over thirty languages worldwide.

Tison and Taylor's creation was adapted into an animated television series that first aired in 1974. The original Barbapapa anime was a co-production between Japanese animation studios, including Topcraft, and the Dutch company Polyscope. This series ran for 100 episodes, each lasting five minutes, and was broadcast in numerous countries. Several decades later, a second anime series titled Barbapapa Around the World was produced, premiering in Japan in 1999. This spin-off, animated by Studio Pierrot and produced by Kodansha, consisted of 50 episodes that followed the Barbapapa family on environmental adventures across the globe. Both series retained the core themes of the original books, focusing on the family's ability to shapeshift and their interactions with the natural world, often carrying messages about environmental protection.

The artistic identity of the Barbapapa franchise is defined by its simple, colorful, and transformative characters. The Barbapapa family, including Barbapapa, Barbamama, and their seven children of different colors and personalities, can morph into any shape, which serves as a visual metaphor for creativity and problem-solving. The books and animated adaptations are notable for their educational content, covering topics from ecology to social issues in a gentle, accessible manner. Following the success of their work, Tison and Taylor lived a private life, dividing their time between San Francisco and Paris. Annette Tison passed away in Paris on June 28, 2010. Her creation, Barbapapa, remains a significant work in children's media, recognized globally as a pioneering and enduring example of Franco-Japanese animation collaboration.