Hermie and Friends

Author Max Lucado with the characters Hermie and Wormie

Hermie and Friends is an American Christian video series for children which ran from 2003 to 2010. Produced by Tommy Nelson and Glue Works Entertainment, the show is animated using 3D animation and follows a pair of caterpillars named Hermie and Wormie. ^[1]

The show started with a 40-minute Max Lucado video special called Hermie: A Common Caterpillar, based on his book of the same name. ^[2] The show was turned into a video series that takes place before Hermie became a butterfly. Licensed products include Christian video games, which loosely follow the videos.

It was also broadcast on the Australian Christian Channel and Disney Channel Australia. Hermie and Friends is currently available on Yippee TV, a Christian-based American children’s subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. ^[3]

Cast and characters

• Tim Conway as Hermie, a green caterpillar and main character. In the series, Hermie goes on adventures in Lucado's garden. He will occasionally discuss the topic of the episode in the beginning with a live-action Lucado. His role is that of a comic relief character and he will typically take "the wrong path" in episodes until given guidance from Wormie.
• Don Knotts (2003–2006) and John Causby (2007–2010) as Wormie, a cream white caterpillar and Hermie's best friend. In contrast to Hermie, Wormie is kind and friendly, however tends to become angry when others do wrong. He has a habit of reciting Bible verses and explaining their meanings to other characters. Knotts passed away on February 24, 2006, shortly after recording his lines for "To Share or Nut to Share," which was released posthumously. John Causby took over for the remainder of the series.
• Vicki Lawrence as Flo, a talkative pink fly. She was originally dubbed "Flo the Lyin' Fly" until she learns to tell the truth with the help of Hermie and Wormie.
• Melissa Disney as:
  • Lucy, a red and black ladybug. She is Hailey's and Bailey's kind-hearted mother. She tries everything to discipline and scold her disobeying children and give them guidance. She frequently references her marital status, yet her husband remains unseen throughout the series. He was shown once briefly, with his name being revealed as Ricky.
  • Hailey and Bailey, the red and black ladybug twins of Lucy. The two characters are always mischievous and tend to disobey their mother. Hailey's love of tomatoes and Bailey's love of blueberries conflict each other, as shown in "Hailey and Bailey's Silly Fight."
• Sam Mercurio as:
  • Antonio, the leader of the brown ant army of the garden. He is brave and helps protect the garden. He is sometimes shown wearing a soldier hat.
  • Buzby, a misbehaving yellow and black striped honey bee who later learns to follow the rules. Buzby is an amazing speller, in reference to Spelling bees. He loves singing and playing the guitar. He has a niece, named Beebee, and a nephew, named Buddy. Buzby’s voice, design, and mannerisms are reminiscent of Elvis Presley as well as 50’s and 60’s greasers.
  • Rocky, an orange caterpillar with green stripes and Hermie's neighbor.
  • Milt, a blue caterpillar with red spots and another of Hermie's neighbors.
  • God, who listens to the bugs when they pray and provides them with wisdom, guidance, and love.
  • Private, a brown ant army of the garden.
• Wayne Powers as:
  • Schneider, a blue-skinned Snail with an orange shell.
  • Wormie, a cream white caterpillar and Hermie's best friend, in Digital Praise.
  • Gator, a green alligator.
  • Army, a brown ant army of the garden.
• Frank Peretti as Puffy, the orange dragonfly.
• Tahj Mowry as Webster, a smart, blue and purple spider with yellow spots and glasses. When he first appears, he is afraid. Later he learns to be brave by saying "God is with me". He is named after Webster's Dictionary.
• Mac Powell, Tai Anderson, Mark Lee, and Brad Avery, as The Waterbeetles: Stringo, Lingo, Bingo, and Zingo. They are a famous band in the garden and a parody of The Beatles.
• Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey Jr. as Iggy and Ziggy, two mischievous cockroaches. They are typically hosts in games or other events throughout the series.
• Rob Pottorf as:
  • Bullwinkle, a purple caterpillar with yellow stripes and green spots and Hermie's neighbor.
  • Freddie, an orange flea.
  • Skeeter M. Skeeto, a blue mosquito.
  • Al, a brown ant army of the garden.
• Judge Reinhold as Stanley, whose character is disliked by others due to being a stink bug. Stanley is a stinkbug who stinks when he's afraid, which tends to be often. He is shown to be good at sports.
• Richard Kind as Milo, a green praying mantis who does not know how to pray to God. The character owns a snack shack in the garden that he claims has been there for generations. Milo then learns to pray with the help of Hermie and Wormie.
• Dan Lynch as Big Bully Croaker, a giant green bullfrog with a toothless mouth and purple prehensile tongue. He is the only antagonist to make multiple appearances. He causes trouble in the garden and tries to devour the bugs.
• John O'Hurley as Sinclair M. Skeeto, Skeeter's brother.
• Catherine Smith as: Flora, a yellow caterpillar with grey and orange stripes and Hermie's neighbor.
• Jill Bloede as
  • Caitlin, a pink caterpillar and one of Hermie's neighbors.
  • Annie, a brown ant.
• Kasey Eldridge as:
  • Lizzie, a green lizard
  • Flo, a talkative pink fly, in Digital Praise.
• Fred Willard as Angus O'Reilly, a red ant.
• Richard Gouge as Art a brown ant army of the garden.
• Will Ryan as Arnie, a brown ant army of the garden.
• Buddy Lewis as:
  • Puffy, the orange dragonfly (2008-2009).
  • Wallace, a 1st pal of Angus O'Reilly.
• Will Howard as Rodney, a 2nd pal of Angus O'Reilly.
• John Causby as Announcer Firefly, offscreen.

Episodes

• "Hermie: A Common Caterpillar" (January 4, 2003)
• "Flo the Lyin' Fly" (January 15, 2004)
• "Webster the Scaredy Spider" (September 15, 2004)
• "Buzby, the Misbehaving Bee" (February 12, 2005)
• "A Fruitcake Christmas" (October 1, 2005) ^[1]
• "Stanley the Stinkbug Goes to Camp" (February 28, 2006)
• "To Share or Nut to Share" (August 23, 2006)
• "Milo: The Mantis Who Wouldn't Pray" (February 10, 2007)
• "Buzby and the Grumble Bees" (September 22, 2007)
• "Hailey and Bailey's Silly Fight" (January 26, 2008)
• "Hermie and the High Seas" (March 15, 2008)
• "Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure" (January 4, 2009)
• "The Flo Show Creates a Buzz" (July 9, 2009)
• "Antonio Meets His Match" (March 30, 2010)
• "Who's in Charge Anyway?" (May 1, 2010)

Shorts

Shorts are released in DVDs. They usually follow the focus of the main episode. Sam Mercurio and Melissa Disney provide the narrations.

• The Flood of Lies
• The Race of Fear
• The Straight Path
• A Friend In Need
• Win, Lose, or Honey!
• Buzby's Beach Blanket Bug Bash
• Spelling Bee
• Hermielocks
• Hermie Had a Little Lamb
• Little Red Hermie in the Hood
• Caterpilla

References

1. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 113. ISBN   9781476672939.
2. Lucado, Max (2002). Hermie and Friends Board Books, Hermie: A Common Caterpillar. Tommy Nelson. ISBN   978-1-4003-0126-3.
3. "Hermie & Friends". Yippee TV. Retrieved 2024-08-08.

External links

• Hermie and Friends website
• Hermie and Friends at IMDb