Polka Dot Shorts

Last updated

Polka Dot Shorts is a Canadian children's television series produced and broadcast by TVOntario from 1994 to 2001. [1] It was created, produced, and edited by Jed MacKay. [2]

Contents

Approximately 180 episodes were produced, all directed by Michael McNamara.

About

The series is based on Polka Dot Door , and stars the characters Polkaroo, Humpty, Dumpty, Bear and Marigold. [2] The characters are portrayed by "physical theatre" actors in large costumes; Marigold's performer, for example, had a ballet and circus background. Unlike in Polka Dot Door, in which Polkaroo only ever vocalized his own name, [3] in Polka Dot Shorts he spoke full dialogue in English. [4]

The show's original concept had been to retain the characters while Polka Dot Door underwent a temporary production hiatus, [5] although ultimately Polka Dot Shorts continued and the original Polka Dot Door did not resume production. [4]

Originally, each episode started with a human host (Deborah Drakeford) introducing the episode to a gathering of children as she was about to read the story from a book. The stories themselves were dramatized by actors in large suits, playing the puppets from Polka Dot Door, while the reader provided the dialogue. A new character was added to the Polka Dot Door family: Polkaroo's pet, Bibble. Although Bibble was only capable of making sounds that loosely resembled "bibblebibblebibble", he did so in various tones which indicated his mood.

At one point in every episode, one or more of the characters would discover a large pair of polka dot shorts, and exclaim, "A great big pair of polka dot shorts! How did they get there?" Polkaroo's response would be, "I haven't the foggiest idea!" Some episodes were done entirely in rhyme, in which case the character who found the polka dot shorts would exclaim, "Polka dot shorts, a great big pair! How on earth did they get there?"

After the first two seasons the episodes were re-edited. The human hostess/storyteller was deleted, and the show would begin immediately.

The series won a Gemini Award for Best Pre-School Program or Series at the 15th Gemini Awards in 2000, [6] and Charles P. Schott ("Bear") was a Gemini Award finalist for Best Performer in a Pre-School Series at the 17th Gemini Awards in 2002.

Characters

Polkaroo (played by Greg Lanthier, voiced by Andrew Sabiston): A green kangaroo-like animal with yellow hair, a red nose, a long yellow furry tail, a red-and-yellow polka dot on his neck and a gown covered in polka dots. He appears in every episode. He lives in a small house with his pet Bibble. He enjoys having his friends round to play and is mostly the one who finds the polka dot shorts. He sometimes talks in rhyme, and when his friends argue or do something he doesn't like, he often interrupts them with "Excuse me".

Bibble: Polkaroo's mischievous pet which looks like a multi-coloured mop head covered in pom-poms. Often seen moving about making a "bibbly" sound, hence his name. He likes to pull pranks, and sometimes annoys the others with them.

Humpty (played by Line Roberge, voiced by Tony Daniels): A big green egg with purplish hair and a white nose. He wears a burgundy coloured suit patterned with pink roses, a tie with a large H on it, and green boots. Humpty is playful and sometimes a bit mischievous, but he always goes out of his way to help his friends. When the gang start to feel scared or nervous, he often says "Pull yourself together." He is Dumpty's older brother.

Dumpty (played by Brunella Battista, voiced by Julie Lemieux): Humpty's younger brother. He is brown coloured with a blue checked nose. He wears a cream-coloured cap with the letter D on it, a blue bow tie, a blue suit with flowers and checks on it, and brown boots. The youngest of the group, he loves to help and wants to fit in. He sometimes annoys his older brother Humpty, but deeply cares for him.

Bear (played by Charles P. Schott, voiced by Brian Moffatt): A brown bear who is Polkaroo's best friend and wears a green bow tie with white polka dots. He has a great fondness for honey, speaks with a posh accent, and can sometimes be a bit of a show-off. He often says "Coincidence, I think not."

Marigold (played by Alisa Walton, voiced by Deborah Drakeford): A kind-hearted doll with orange yarn-like hair in pigtails. She wears a green dress with flowers on it, yellow-and-white striped leggings, and black buckle shoes. She loves gardening and grows many different plants. She often says "You know what? I'll tell you what."

Episodes

Series 1 (1994)

Shadow Dancer

The Rookie

Treasure Map

Goodnight Polkaroo

The Ball That Got Broken

Just For Two

Series 2 (1995)

Sweet and Sour Surprise

Small Comfort

Whip Whop Woes

Thunder Bear

Bibble's Bubble Bath

Rainbow Bird

Humpty's Fair Share

Not Enough Helpers

A Star Is Born

Great White Bibble

Home Sweet Home

Cutler in The Cake

Phantom of The Nursery Rhyme

Polkaroo of The Jungle

Aloha

Unbearable

The Holden Pear

Sleeping Beauty

Show Me The Honey

Royal Visit

Humptanic

King Dumpty

Kla Two

Picture Perfect

Knock Knock

Jack and The Beanstalk

Cereal Bowl

A Windy Day

Lots of Spots

The Sandwich

Seasons Greetings Polkaroo

Series 3 (1996)

Badge of Merit

Polkaroo The Painter

Hooray for Dumpty

In The Bag

Incredible Shrinking Plant

Big Boot

Polkarobot

Vote For Me

The Bibble Ra

Bibble Day

Magnet Mayhem

Polkaroo's Tanksgiving

The Snowman

Bibbles Birthday

Knock on Wood

Pardon My Garden

The Great Obstacle Race

The Wonderfully Marvelous Thingamajig

Series 4 (2004)

A Champion Chomper

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humpty Dumpty</span> Nursery rhyme character

Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such. The first recorded versions of the rhyme date from late eighteenth-century England and the tune from 1870 in James William Elliott's National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs. Its origins are obscure, and several theories have been advanced to suggest original meanings.

<i>Rupert Bear</i> English childrens comic strip

Rupert Bear is an English children's comic strip character and franchise created by Herbert Tourtel and illustrated by his wife, the artist Mary Tourtel, first appearing in the Daily Express newspaper on 8 November 1920. Rupert's initial purpose was to win sales from the rival Daily Mail and Daily Mirror. In 1935, the stories were taken over by Alfred Bestall, who was previously an illustrator for Punch and other glossy magazines. Bestall proved to be successful in the field of children's literature and worked on Rupert stories and artwork into his nineties. More recently, various other artists and writers have continued the series. About 50 million copies have been sold worldwide.

<i>Polka Dot Door</i> Canadian childrens television series

Polka Dot Door is a Canadian children's television series which was produced by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority from 1971 to 1993. The series features two hosts who speak directly to the home viewing audience.

<i>Maggie and the Ferocious Beast</i> Canadian animated childrens television series created by Michael and Betty Paraskevas

Maggie and the Ferocious Beast is a Canadian animated children's television series created by Michael and Betty Paraskevas. The program was based on the 1996 book The Ferocious Beast with the Polka-Dot Hide and its sequels, which were also written by the Paraskevas. Two years later, the show started off as a series of shorts aired on the Canadian channel Teletoon in 1998. The first full-length episode first premiered on Nickelodeon as part of the Nick Jr. programming block on June 5, 2000, in the United States before premiering on Teletoon on August 26 of that same year in Canada. The series ran for three seasons, airing its final episode on June 9, 2002.

<i>The Big Over Easy</i> 2005 novel written by Jasper Fforde

The Big Over Easy is a 2005 novel written by Jasper Fforde. It features Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant, Sergeant Mary Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humpty Dumpty (comics)</span> Comics character

Humpty Dumpty is a fictional character from DC Comics. Unlike many of Batman's enemies, he is not deliberately malevolent, and is typically portrayed as comic relief.

TVOKids is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by TVO in Canada. It was launched on April 1, 1994, and runs from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. The brand also operates two 24-hour online live streams, one that features regular TVOkids programming, and another dedicated to its original series Paw Patrol. These channels are targeted at ages from 2 to 11.

<i>Fushigi no Kuni no Alice</i> Japanese anime television series

Fushigi no Kuni no Alice is an anime adaptation of the 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland which ran on the TV Tokyo network and other local television stations across Japan from October 10, 1983 to March 26, 1984. The television series was a Japanese-German co-production between Nippon Animation and Apollo Films. The television series consists of 52 episodes, but only 26 made it to the United States.

<i>Play School</i> (British TV series) British childrens TV series (1964–1988)

Play School is a British children's television series produced by the BBC which ran from 21 April 1964 until 11 March 1988. It was created by Joy Whitby and was aimed at preschool children. Each programme followed a broad theme and consisted of songs, stories and activities with presenters in the studio, along with a short film introduced through either the square, round or arched window in the set.

Play School is a New Zealand educational television show for children. It is based on the British Play School show. The series first aired in 1972, and ended in 1990.

I Spy is an American stop-motion/claymation television series that aired on the HBO Family digital pay-TV channel in the United States from December 14, 2002 to September 21, 2003, based on the children's book series created and written by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick. Produced by The Ink Tank in season 1 and JWL Entertainment Productions in season 2 and Scholastic Media, the show lasted for two seasons and 52 episodes.

<i>Blues Room</i> American childrens live-action puppet television series

Blue's Room is an American puppetry television series spin-off from Blue's Clues. It was created by Traci Paige Johnson and Angela Santomero. The show aired on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block, and originated as short segments on Blue's Clues episodes in season 6.

<i>Big Cook, Little Cook</i> British childrens television series

Big Cook, Little Cook is a British children's television series created by Adrian Hedley for BBC television. The programme is set in the kitchen of a café, with two chef characters: Big Cook Ben and Little Cook Small. CBeebies aired repeats on the channel until February 2012.

Show Me Show Me is a pre-school television series that aired on CBeebies from 6 July 2009 to 30 October 2015 and is presented by Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee. The series teaches and shows children to read stories about their toys. The show also aired on Pluto TV's BBC Kids FAST Channel in the United States, ABC Kids in Australia, BBC Kids in Canada and on BBC One And BBC Two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Wagner</span> Canadian puppeteer, producer, director and writer

Cheryl Wagner, is a Canadian puppeteer, producer, director and writer, who is the creator of the TV series The Big Comfy Couch, is a Gemini Award and Emmy award- winning Canadian children's television writer, showrunner and producer who began her career as a performer in both theatre and on the screen. Her Halifax-based touring Merrytime Clown and Puppet Company in which Wagner worked as a clown and puppeteer from 1977 to 1980 provided a fertile ground for her later work as a producer and writer in children's entertainment.

<i>Goldie & Bear</i> American animated television series

Goldie & Bear is an American animated fantasy children's television series created by Jorge Aguirre for Disney Junior. The series is produced by Milk Barn Entertainment and Titmouse, Inc in its first and second seasons respectively. Inspired by the fairy tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," the show focuses on Goldie and Bear, who become best friends following an incident at his house.

<i>Poppets Town</i> Animated childrens TV series

Poppets Town, French title: Les Popilous is a Japanese-influenced animated children's television series produced by Decode Entertainment and Neptuno Films in association with the OLC Rights Entertainment. It is based on the characters created by Japanese author Jun Ichihara. The series aired on Knowledge Network and TVOKids in Canada.

Gisèle's Big Backyard is a Canadian children's television series, which aired on TVOntario from 2006 to 2019. Hosted and produced by children's entertainer and educator Gisèle Corinthios as a continuation of her earlier series The Nook, the series featured Corinthios, puppet supporting characters and guests entertaining and educating children according to the HighScope curriculum of early childhood education.

References

  1. ↑ Greg Quill, "TVO shuts Polka Dot Door but not skittish on British". Toronto Star , September 25, 1994.
  2. 1 2 Keri Sweetman, "TVO shuffles its show schedule for youngsters". Ottawa Citizen , March 13, 1995.
  3. ↑ "POLKAROOOOOOOO!!!!!!". The Globe and Mail , August 9, 1997.
  4. 1 2 Louise Brown, "He speaks! One-word wonder Polkaroo finally finds his voice". Toronto Star , September 21, 1996.
  5. ↑ Liam Lacey, "Polkaroo still intrigues kids Spinoff, reruns mean 24-year-old show won't be hard to find". Hamilton Spectator , December 28, 1994.
  6. ↑ "Canceled series score numerous Gemini wins". Playback . November 13, 2000.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.