Martha Speaks (TV series)

Last updated
Martha Speaks
InTheNewsMarthaLogo.png
Genre Children
Educational
Comedy
Slapstick
Animation
Created bySusan Meddaugh
Based on Martha Speaks
by Susan Meddaugh
Developed byKen Scarborough
Written byKen Scarborough
Directed byDallas Parker
Colleen Holub
Voices of Tabitha St. Germain
Madeleine Peters
Brian Drummond
Alex Ferris
Valin Shinyei
Cedric Payne
Christina Crivici
Michelle Creber
Vanesa Tomasino
Nicole Oliver
Kathleen Barr
French Tickner
Maxine Miller
Matt Hill
Samuel Vincent
Terry Klassen
Narrated byJ.T. Turner
Theme music composer Daniel Ingram
Hal Beckett
Opening theme"Martha Speaks" (lyrics by Ken Scarborough)
by Robert Wilson (a few spoken-word lines provided by Tabitha St. Germain)
Ending theme"Martha Speaks" (instrumental)
ComposerDaniel Ingram
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6 [1]
No. of episodes96 (183 segments) [1] [2] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersCarol Greenwald
Chris Bartlerman (seasons 1–4)
Blair Peters (seasons 1–4)
ProducerSarah Wall
Running time28 minutes (approximately 13 minutes per episode)
Production companies WGBH Boston
Studio B Productions (Seasons 1-3)
DHX Media Vancouver (Season 4)
Oasis Animation (Seasons 5-6)
Original release
Network PBS Kids (United States)
TVOKids (Canada)
ReleaseSeptember 1, 2008 (2008-09-01) 
November 18, 2014 (2014-11-18)

Martha Speaks is an animated educational children's television series based on the 1992 children's book of the same name by Susan Meddaugh [3] and debuted on September 1, 2008 on PBS, on the PBS Kids programming block. The series was produced by WGBH Boston, with animation by DHX Media/Vancouver for the first four seasons and Oasis Animation for the final two seasons of the series.

Contents

The series focuses mainly on synonyms, phonics, and vocabulary, with each episode featuring an underlying theme illustrated with a wide variety of keywords. The show also occasionally focuses on introducing children aged four to seven [4] to different concepts of science, history, astronomy and other learning concepts (from the Spanish language to passing mentions of it). [a]

On July 6, 2009, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 14, 2009. On August 2, 2010, the series was renewed for another two seasons. [5] [6] The third season premiered on October 11, 2010 and the fourth season premiered on February 20, 2012. [7] On April 29, 2013, the series was renewed for an additional two seasons. The fifth season premiered on June 24, 2013 and the sixth season premiered on March 31, 2014. [8]

On October 10, 2014, it was announced that the sixth season would be its last. The series finale aired on November 18, 2014.

Premise

The series revolves around a talking dog named Martha (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain), who is owned by 11-year-old Helen Lorraine (known in the books as Helen Finney). When Helen fed Martha alphabet soup, the pasta letters somehow traveled to her brain rather than her stomach, giving her the ability to speak human words. The show takes place in the fictional town of Wagstaff City. [9]

Episodes

SeasonSegmentsEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 7840September 1, 2008 (2008-09-01)July 17, 2009 (2009-07-17)
2 2715September 14, 2009 (2009-09-14)May 14, 2010 (2010-05-14)
3 2915October 11, 2010 (2010-10-11)October 3, 2011 (2011-10-03)
4 1810February 20, 2012 (2012-02-20)April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05)
5 168June 24, 2013 (2013-06-24)November 14, 2013 (2013-11-14)
6 168March 31, 2014 (2014-03-31)November 18, 2014 (2014-11-18)

Season 1 of the series ended with a total of 40 episodes; it premiered in September 2008. 30 episodes were produced for season 2 and then split in half to be aired over two broadcast seasons with 15 episodes each. [10]

In season 1, each episode was followed by Music Time with SteveSongs and later by Dot's Story Factory. Starting with season 2, both Music Time with SteveSongs and Dot's Story Factory are replaced by a segment called Who's That Dog? in which a clip of a dog with special training is shown.

In the series, words defined by characters were off-screen early in season 1 and throughout seasons 4–6. However, the words were made visible in only season 2 and season 3.

Characters

Main

Animals

  • Martha Lorraine [11] (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is the titular protagonist. Martha is a talking Labrador mix that was born an energetic stray and was put in the dog pound as a puppy. She gained the ability to talk after Helen gave her a bowl of alphabet soup; the letters in the soup went to her brain instead of her stomach. In order to retain this ability, Martha has to continue to eat the soup. [12] She is also capable of speaking different languages if the soup she eats is from another country but can only speak one language at a time (e.g., if she were to eat a can of soup from Poland, she'd only be able to speak Polish until she was fed another can). Though, the phenomenon couldn't be repeated with another dog. She was based on a dog owned by Susan Meddaugh, which in turn may have been named after the dog in subject of The Beatles song "Martha My Dear". Martha woke up in the morning singing in "Martha Sings". [13] She can understand most animal languages except for a few exotic animals such as monkeys and giraffes. These languages are difficult, as slight elongation or slightly higher pitch will mean something entirely altered. In the episode "Itchy Martha", Martha teaches T.D.'s father to speak a word in dog, coaching him to say it exactly right. Almost all animals are able to understand some sort of human language, but are not able to speak it. In a newer episode, it is stated that Martha understands a wide range of animal languages, possibly because they have the same grammar system. She has had three superhero alter-egos.
  • Skits Lorraine (voiced by Brian Drummond) is Helen's other dog, who tries the same alphabet soup but doesn't share the same talking ability. Though he is unable to speak, he is nonetheless a very smart dog. He was found by T.D., since he was unable to keep Skits because his father is allergic to dogs.

Children

  • Helen Lorraine (voiced by Madeleine Peters) is Martha's and Skits' tomboyish owner who is usually the voice of reason of the group. Helen is closest to Martha and thinks of Martha as her best friend. Out of the six main kids, Helen is sensible. Despite this, she can be a bit overbearing and even show her rough side. She always hangs around her friends, but T.D. is said to be her best friend. She is 11 years old and biracial, coming from a Caucasian father and a Latin-American mother. In "Verb Dog", it's revealed that she has her own superhero alter ego, "When Action Calls!", is very huge and can brainwash dogs simply by calling their names.
  • T.D. Kennelly (voiced by Alex Ferris in the first 4 seasons and Valin Shinyei starting with season 5) is Helen's best friend. His father, O.G., is an inventor, while his mother is the vice-principal at his school. He has a grandfather named C.K., who works as a farmhand, and also a younger cousin named C.D. T.D. also mentioned having an unnamed older sister, who has never made an appearance in the series due to her studies. He lives a Bohemian lifestyle that revolves around the surreal. His robot alter-ego from "Verb Dog, When Action Calls!" uses robotic tentacles that grow from his back.
  • Alice Boxwood (voiced by Christina Crivici in the first 3 seasons, Michelle Creber in season 4 and Ashlyn Drummond starting with season 5) is another one of Helen's best friends. She has an older brother named Ronald who mocks her, and a pet cat named Nelson, with whom Martha is mortal enemies. Her superhero alter-ego possesses ice powers; her only weakness is anyone making her laugh, which causes her to lose control of her powers and freeze herself.
  • James "Jake" Lorraine (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is Helen's toddler sibling whom Martha enjoys teaching on how to talk, with unsuccessful attempts. His birth is emphasized in the episode "The Jakey Express". In the Spanish dub, he is named "Pedrito".

Adults

  • Danny Lorraine (also voiced by Brian Drummond) is Helen's father who works as a bus driver and an actor in the community theater. He is friendly but stern, though part-time, he has a somewhat immature and cringe personality, such as singing music at home.
  • Mariella Lorraine (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is Helen's Latina florist mother, who works as an actor in the community theater. She often uses Spanish words and phrases, giving the translation shortly afterwards. Her parents and maiden surname are unknown, but her brother Jorge (Carolina's father) is seen in the series.
  • Mrs. Clusky (voiced by Nicole Oliver) is Helen's teacher from Montreal. She was initially shocked when she found out that Martha can speak, though has since gotten used to it. She has three nieces, and a white poodle, François, who is very spoiled and demanding.

Recurring

Children

  • Carolina (voiced by Vanesa Tomasino) is Helen's maternal cousin. She is very fashion-conscious of others; in music, she sings off-key. She is described as a know-it-all with some signs of shallow. Like her aunt Mariella (Helen's mother), Carolina often uses Spanish words and phrases, giving the translation shortly afterwards. Her father is named Jorge (Mariella's sibling).
  • Truman Oatley (voiced by Cedric Payne) is another one of Helen's best friends who enjoys reading historical works of literature and is prone to seasickness. He is African-American. He is often a pessimist who focuses on the negative without any confidence and is unwilling to try other things because he is frequently convinced that the activity is pointless; additionally he is afraid of insects. Truman is younger than Helen, T.D., and Alice. Oddly, the design on his vest closely resembles the logo of the Santiago Metro.
  • Ronald Boxwood (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is Alice's older brother who can tend to act very arrogant, and he loves to scare, show-off, tease and annoy Alice and her friends, including Martha. He also loves Nelson (him and Alice's pet cat).

Adults

  • Lucille and Bernard Lorraine are Helen's grandparents. They live simple and odd lifestyles and are allergic to certain things, such as flowers and bacon.
  • Mr. Pangborn is a neighbor who recently moved to Martha's neighborhood. He has an elderly cat named Lightning and previously has a serious mice issue. Once Martha figured out how to deal with them, Mr. Pangborn allowed the mice to live at his house.

Production

The series was executive-produced by WGBH employee Carol Greenwald (who first contacted Meddaugh during production of the PBS series Arthur) [1] and developed for television by Emmy Award-winning writer Kenneth "Ken" Scarborough (the head writer for shows such as Arthur and Doug ). Among other writers and screenwriters were Joe Fallon, Peter Hirsch, Kathy Waugh, Raye Lankford, Pippin Parker, Ron Holsey, Jessica Carleton, Matt Steinglass and Dietrich Smith. Canadian composers Daniel Ingram and Harold Foxton Beckett composed the music for both the series and the theme song, while Ken Scarborough wrote the lyrics for and Robert Wilson performed the latter. [14]

The series was produced in Vancouver by DHX Media Vancouver (formerly Studio B Productions) using Flash. [15] Meddaugh, the author of the book, was involved in the series and oversaw the production: despite some concerns over what would the way word definitions be incorporated into a television series, she was satisfied they didn't interrupt the plot's flowing concept. [16] [17]

Actor Jon Hamm along with then-girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt and their German Shepherd mix, Cora were animated into cartoon versions of themselves for an episode as guest stars. [18] [19]

Format

In each episode, short animated segments related to the main parts are presented in three occasions: one between the opening theme and the first part; another one between two parts; and the other between the second part and the closing credits. However, those short segments are excluded from versions outside the United States and Canada.

Broadcast

Martha Speaks debuted on PBS Kids on September 1, 2008 and ended on November 18, 2014, with reruns continuing until October 2, 2022, [20] though local stations may still choose to air it independently, as do KLCS-DT2 and PBS Hawaii, as of 2023.

The series also aired on TVOKids in Canada, on Discovery Kids in Latin America, on Disney Junior in the Netherlands, on CBBC in the United Kingdom and on Nick Jr. in Australia and New Zealand. [21]

Home media

On January 3, 2009, some episodes of this television series were available for limited theatrical release. [22] Also, a DVD set of the series featuring 8 episodes from the first season was released on March 9, 2010; since then, several DVDs were also released.

Streaming

Until July 2015, seasons 1-3 were available to stream on Netflix. Since then, the series is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video (albeit all episodes are now available).

Merchandise

Before the series premiered, PBS Kids reported that episodes of the series were available as downloads, as they are also available for purchase via downloading, to date. In January 2010, Martha Speaks launched its first list of official tie-in books with: 24-page readers and several chapter books; and also a picture book.

Notes

  1. Carolina and Mariella Lorraine are fluent Spanish speakers. Additionally, Truman Oatley references the works of William Shakespeare in a few episodes, such as "Oh, nooo!" where he mentions Hamlet , while season 2 episodes "Dogs in Space" and "Dogs from Space" focus on vocabulary such as "Solar System", "orbit", "planet", "star", the "moons of Jupiter" and "constellation".

Related Research Articles

<i>Arthur</i> (TV series) Animated childrens television series (1996–2022)

Arthur is an animated television series for children ages 4 to 8, developed by Kathy Waugh for PBS and produced by WGBH. The show is set in the fictional U.S. city of Elwood City and revolves around the lives of Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other. The television series is based on the Arthur book series written and illustrated by Marc Brown. Production on the series was first announced in 1995 by WGBH Boston and Montreal-based animation studio CINAR, and aired its first episode on October 7, 1996. During its 25-season run, the show broadcast 253 half-hour episodes.

<i>Caillou</i> Canadian preschool animated television series

Caillou is an animated educational children's television series that aired on Teletoon – with the first episode airing on the former channel on September 15, 1997 – until the fourth season. After that, the fifth season channel was moved to Treehouse TV, and the series final aired on April 17, 2011. It also aired on PBS and the PBS Kids Channel.

<i>Peep and the Big Wide World</i> Canadian-American animated childrens TV show

Peep and the Big Wide World is an animated children's television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover, investigate, and explore the world around them.

<i>The Puzzle Place</i> Childrens television series

The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles and Lancit Media in New York City. Although production was dated and premiered on two Los Angeles PBS stations, KCET and KLCS, on September 15, 1994, it did not officially premiere on all PBS stations nationwide until January 16, 1995, with its final episode airing on December 4, 1998, and reruns airing until March 31, 2000. It became one of PBS Kids' most popular series on the line-up since Sesame Street.

<i>Cliffords Puppy Days</i> Animated childrens television series

Clifford's Puppy Days is an animated children's television series that originally aired on PBS Kids from September 1, 2003 to February 25, 2006. The prequel to the 2000–2003 series Clifford the Big Red Dog, it features the adventures of Clifford during his puppy days before he became a big red dog and before moving to Birdwell Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabitha St. Germain</span> Canadian voice actress

Tabitha St. Germain, formerly known as Paulina Gillis Germain and also known as Tabitha or Kitanou St. Germain, is a Canadian voice actress. She has been actively doing voice-overs for animated series and films, video games, and commercials since 1985. Her best-known roles include Fllay Allster in the Ocean dub of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Scary Godmother in the Scary Godmother television film duology, Heloise in Jimmy Two-Shoes, Lightning Liz, Nanny Boo Boo, and other various characters on League of Super Evil, the eponymous character in the PBS Kids series Martha Speaks, and the speaking voice of Rarity and Princess Luna among other characters in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

Seven Little Monsters, or 7 Little Monsters, is a Canadian animated children's television series about a family of seven monsters and their mother. It is based on the book of the same name by Maurice Sendak and directed by Neil Affleck, Lynn Reist, and Glenn Sylvester. It was co-produced by Nelvana Limited, Suzhou Hong Ying Animation Corporation Limited for the first two seasons and Philippine Animation Studio Inc. for the third season, produced in association with Treehouse TV and PBS.

<i>Curious George</i> (TV series) 2006 animated television series

Curious George is an American children's animated television series based on the children's book series of the same name for PBS Kids and a sequel series to the 2006 animated film Curious George. Frank Welker, who voiced George in the 2006 film, reprises the role in the series while Jeff Bennett co-stars as the voice of "The Man with the Yellow Hat", replacing Will Ferrell. The show premiered on PBS Kids on September 4, 2006, not long after the film's release, and originally ended after nine seasons on April 1, 2015 before returning in 2018. Later seasons were released on Peacock, and the series concluded on March 17, 2022 after a total of 15 seasons. This is the second animated series from Imagine Entertainment, following 1999’s The PJs.

<i>Make Way for Noddy</i> Animated series

Make Way for Noddy is an animated television series produced by British studio Chorion in conjunction with American studio SD Entertainment. Based on Enid Blyton's Noddy character, it was originally broadcast on Channel 5 from 2 September 2002 to 7 April 2006. It features music and songs composed by Steven Bernstein and Julie Bernstein, with the musical direction done by Sharon Sampson and Terry Sampson.

<i>Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman</i> American animated television series

Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman is an American live-action/animated television series that aired on PBS Kids Go! and is largely targeted toward children ages 6–10. It is a reality competition hosted by Ruff Ruffman, an animated anthropomorphic dog who dispenses challenges to the show's real-life contestants. The series ran from May 29, 2006, to November 4, 2010 on PBS across five seasons and 100 episodes, and featured 30 contestants. Although a sixth season was planned, with auditions taking place in January 2010, WGBH announced on June 14, 2010 that the series would end due to lack of funding. In June 2008, the series received its first Emmy for Best Original Song for its theme.

Alexander Ferris is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Billy Gornicke in the road film RV (2006), Victor Newton in the thriller film The Invisible (2007), Young Henry DeTamble in the drama film The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), and Collin Lee in the comedy film Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010). Ferris is also the voice of Charlie Brown in Peanuts Motion Comics from 2008 to 2010, T.D. Kennelly in the PBS Kids animated TV series Martha Speaks and Paulie the Pliosaurus in the PBS Kids animated TV series Dinosaur Train.

<i>Sid the Science Kid</i> American animated television series

Sid the Science Kid, also known as Jim Henson's Sid the Science Kid, is an American children's computer-animated educational television series produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with PBS affiliate KCET, that aired on PBS Kids from September 1, 2008, to November 15, 2012. The show is created using digital puppetry. Each character required two puppeteers working in concert, one performing the face and mouth using a remote manipulator or Waldo, and the other performing the body using motion capture.

<i>Martha Speaks</i> (book) Childrens book published in 1992

Martha Speaks is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh and published by Houghton Mifflin in September 1992. It is the first in a series of six books featuring a young girl named Helen Finney and her pet dog named Martha.

<i>Clifford the Big Red Dog</i> (2000 TV series) Animated television series or program

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an animated educational children's television series, based upon Norman Bridwell's children's book series of the same name. Produced by Scholastic Productions, it was originally aired on PBS Kids from September 4, 2000, to February 25, 2003. A UK version originally aired on BBC Two in April 2002.

<i>Kate & Mim-Mim</i> Animated adventure childrens television series

Kate & Mim-Mim is an animated children's television series created by husband-and-wife duo, Scott and Julie Stewart, the series aired on Knowledge Kids on 4 August 2014 to 23 March 2018, it was produced by Nerd Corps Entertainment in the first season and later by WildBrain Studios in the second season with FremantleMedia Kids & Family.

<i>Pinkalicious & Peterrific</i> Animated childrens TV series

Pinkalicious & Peterrific is an educational animated children's television series on PBS Kids, based upon the Pinkalicious book series by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. The series is produced by WGBH Kids in association with Sixteen South.

<i>Polly Pocket</i> (TV series) 2018 TV series

Polly Pocket is a 2D-animated adventure fantasy children's television series based on Mattel's doll of the same name. It features Polly having a magical locket that allows her and her friends to shrink down to tiny sizes.

<i>Molly of Denali</i> Animated TV series

Molly of Denali is an animated children's television series produced by WGBH Kids and animated by Atomic Cartoons, created by Dorothea Gillim and Kathy Waugh for PBS Kids and CBC Kids. It premiered on July 15, 2019, and is the first American nationally distributed children's show to feature an Alaska Native as the lead character. 38 half-hour episodes were produced for season 1, with a 50-minute special as its season finale. A special live-action segment filmed in Alaska airs between the two 11-minute story segments.

<i>Super Why!</i> American-Canadian animated preschool television series

Super Why! is an animated superhero preschool educational television series created by Angela Santomero and developed by Santomero and Samantha Freeman Alpert for PBS Kids. Santomero and Alpert additionally serve as executive producers alongside Steven DeNure and Anne Loi. The series was produced by Santomero and Alpert's New York City-based production company Out of the Blue Enterprises in co-production with Decode Entertainment for the first season and DHX Studios Halifax for the second and third seasons. Animation was by Toronto-based C.O.R.E. Toons, Gallus Entertainment and DHX Media. The opening and closing theme songs were written by composers and lyricists Steve D'Angelo and Terry Tompkins, with D'Angelo also providing lead vocals for both. The background score for seasons 2 and 3 was composed by Lorenzo Castelli and Jeff Morrow.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Weiss, Joanna (August 17, 2008). "PBS set to unleash a new tutor". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
  2. "Publishers Weekly". Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  3. "Martha Speaks . Games . Marthur Sticker Mashup | PBS KIDS". pbskids.org. Archived from the original on 2018-10-30. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  4. "About Martha Speaks". PBS KIDS. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  5. "Oregon Public Broadcasting". Opb.org. Archived from the original on 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  6. "PBS Kids Greenlights Martha Speaks For Fourth Season". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  7. "WGBH BOSTON'S AND DHX MEDIA'S MARTHA SPEAKS GREENLIT FOR A FOURTH SEASON ON PBS KIDS". WildBrain. Archived from the original on 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  8. "Martha Speaks #501". Archived from the original on 2014-01-12. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  9. Answers.com. "Martha Speaks TV Show". Answers.com . Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  10. "Martha Speaks Episode Descriptions". Pbs Kids!. Archived from the original on 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  11. "Martha Goes to School". Martha Speaks. 2 minutes in.
    Mrs. Clusky: "Is this Martha Lorraine?"
    Martha: "That's right."
  12. "Martha Speaks . FAQ". PBS KIDS!. WGBH. Archived from the original on 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
  13. "Martha Speaks | Martha Sings/Td Makes The Band | WTTW". Chicago Public Television. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  14. "Martha Speaks TV Credits". PBS Parents. Archived from the original on 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  15. "2008: The year that was". Top Draw Animation. Archived from the original on 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  16. Nesi, Ted (2009-05-12). "Good dog". Wheaton Quarterly. Wheaton College. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  17. "Martha Speaks. FAQ". PBS Kids. WGBH. Archived from the original on 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
  18. Chaney, Jen (2023-06-30). "Jon Hamm becomes a cartoon in PBS kids show". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  19. "First Look: Jon Hamm And His Dog Get Animated for Martha Speaks". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-18. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  20. "PBS KIDS Schedule Update October 2022". WKAR. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  21. "DHX MEDIA'S RASTAMOUSE AND MARTHA SPEAKS LICENSED TO BBC KIDS IN CANADA". WildBrain. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  22. Kidtoon Films. "Kidtoon Films". Kidtoon Films. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-08-16.