MONTREAL — The much-awaited Têtes à claques DVD came in third on the Nielsen VideoScan charts for the week ending Oct. 28, putting the homemade Quebec series just behind Hollywood heavies Transformers and Meet the Robinsons.

Since its release Oct. 23, the DVD has sold 30,871 copies in Canada, according to its distributor, Distribution Select, which is owned by Quebecor Media.

Têtes à claques — a phrase that translates as ‘faces you’d like to slap’ — went online last summer and, within a month, www.tetesaclaques.tv was pulling in half a million visitors a month.

About two minutes long, the stop-motion episodes are made by animator and former adman Michel Beaudet from a basement studio south of Montreal.

The DVD features the first 45 episodes, including standout characters such as Raoul the wannabe playboy, and infomercial host Oncle Tom, who stars in the site’s all-time number one clip. Biographies of all the characters, TV commercials and the history of Têtes à claques are also included.

Têtes à claques eps are also broadcast on Bell cell phones. Starting in December, Radio-Canada will air a televised version of the clips. There are also plans for an English-language version of the site.