He hit on an idea – what if his cartoon character were to accidentally get stuck in the real world? This forms the premise of “My Cartoon Friend”, which debuted on the Cartoon Network in South Africa last month, making Msipha the first of his compatriots to get a full 13-episode series.

In the new show, Msipha plays himself as a young animator experimenting with some new software when he accidentally exports his creation into the real world.

He is then stuck with Themba, his feisty, sharp-tongued animation, who he must accommodate into his life, which proves challenging.

“Our relationship is like a ‘Tom and Jerry’ type of relationship. He’s a cartoon in the real world, but he doesn’t understand that in the real world, the dynamics are different,” Msipha said at this studio.

“Adults can watch it, kids can watch it – it’s basically for the whole family,” he added.

He now hopes to help grow South Africa’s nascent animation industry and attract talented upstarts like himself to join in.