The Reppies

Last updated
The Reppies
Genre Children's television series
Educational
Musical
Created byPatrick McGonigle
Stephen McGonigle
Opening theme"We Are the Reppies"
Ending themevarious closing themes
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes27
Production
ProducerJames "Smokey" Knudson
Running time28 minutes
Production companiesNorthstar Entertainment
Treat Entertainment
WEDU
Original release
Network PBS Member Stations
ReleaseSeptember 28, 1996 (1996-09-28) 
March 22, 1998 (1998-03-22)

The Reppies is a live-action American educational musical show for children, created by Northstar Entertainment along with Treat Entertainment, for PBS.

Contents

Premise

The series centers around a group of anthropomorphic reptile creatures (in oversized costumes) that sing in a music group and interact with a Mary Poppins-like English tutor, who also sings and dances. In some of the episodes she seemingly displays magical powers.

Cast

The cast includes American actress Trudie Petersen as Miss Summerhayes the English tutor, Rick Stanley as Mickey the band's manager, and 13-year-old actress Tailia Osteen who plays Katie in four episodes. [1]

Production

The series was produced by WEDU Television in Tampa, Florida. Each episode featured three original songs produced by Rick Tell. Twenty six half hour episodes and one hour long holiday special were originally created in 1996, and aired on a few public television stations. All of the episodes were later re-dubbed with Christian-oriented messages and moved to Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Christian Television Network.

Originally created by Wendy Harrison from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, along with the father son team of Pat and Steve McGonigle of Northstar Entertainment. James "Smokey" Knudson was the series producer and Brian McBride as executive in charge of production for the entire series run. Bruce Foulke was the Music Supervisor for the series. It currently airs on Smile network.

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Babes in the Woods"September 28, 1996 (1996-09-28)
Bumba's desire to prove herself comes to effect when The Reppies, Miss Summerhayes, and Mickey get lost during a hike in the woods. Meanwhile, Mr. King takes Heather and Buster fishing when a mysterious call deters their attempts.
2"Parlez-vous Reppie?"October 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)
When The Reppies' French cousins---The Freppies---arrive for a visit, things don't go as planned. Jealousy and misunderstanding ignite as the two groups try to find common ground while The Reppies learn French along the way.
3"Buster's Breakthrough"October 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)
As The Reppies prepare the theater for the school talent show, they discover one of their friends, Buster, has stage fright and is afraid to participate. So the gang tries the best to their ability to prove how special he truly is.
4"Teacher's Pet"October 19, 1996 (1996-10-19)
While organizing a spelling bee, Razz develops a crush on Miss Summerhayes that's up for debate. Meanwhile, The Reppies prepare to perform a play prepared by Tessa.
5"Things That Go Bumba in the Night"October 26, 1996 (1996-10-26)
When The Reppies, along with Heather, Katie and Buster, decide to have a sleepover in the old theater, a mysterious spirit causes shenanigans and fun as the gang band together to solve the mystery.
6"A Merry Reppies Holiday Special"December 28, 1996 (1996-12-28)
As The Reppies prepare for a holiday concert, their friends explain the traditions associated with Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah during the happiest time of the year.
7"Boot Up"January 5, 1997 (1997-01-05)
After The Reppies decide to buy their manager, Mickey, a computer, Mickey is uncertain about using one and even Bumba shows concern. Now it's up to the band and Heather to show how easy and fun a computer can be.
8"Bringing Home Baby"January 12, 1997 (1997-01-12)
The Reppies help Heather adjust to the idea of sharing her parents with the new baby in the family.
9"Bumba's Bird"January 19, 1997 (1997-01-19)
When an exotic bird, rousted from its home, decides to stay in the theater Bumba tries to make her a pet with disastrous results. Meanwhile, the theater's water is turned off as Uncle Mickey attempts to adapt.
10"Come and Get It"January 26, 1997 (1997-01-26)
While planning an aerobics routing for "Healthy Constitution Day", Derango's habits of staying up late and eating sweets cause him trouble. Now it's up to the band and an Olympic athlete to teach proper exercise and dieting.
11"Dream a Little Dream"February 2, 1997 (1997-02-02)
While Derango longs for a chance in the spotlight, Mickey teaches the group a lesson in rhythm while Miss Summerhayes teaches how hard work makes dreams come true.
12"Gimme, Gimme"February 9, 1997 (1997-02-09)
A spoiled boy who wins a day with The Reppies desires to get Razz's guitar by any means. To show him the error of his ways, The Reppies help him discover the value of sharing.
13"Good Vibrations"February 16, 1997 (1997-02-16)
After The Reppies receive a letter from Rosie, a hearing-impaired fan, Miss Summerhayes teaches the band sign language.
14"Home is Where the Heart is"February 23, 1997 (1997-02-23)
Miss Summerhayes starts feeling homesick when she doesn't receive a letter from her family. Fearing she might leave them, The Reppies throw her an English tea party.
15"Letter Home"March 2, 1997 (1997-03-02)
Miss Summerhayes writes a letter to her mother in England about her time teaching and getting along with The Reppies. Highlights from the series' first 13 episodes are featured.
16"Lobo-itis"March 9, 1997 (1997-03-09)
The gang prepares a party to honor the theater's 70th anniversary. But Lobo fears going to the doctor when he suddenly feels sick.
17"Lost and Found"March 16, 1997 (1997-03-16)
After Razz loses his Rhythm Egg, he goes into town to buy a new one. But things take a downward spiral when Razz gets lost and can't find his way home.
18"Moving Away Blues"March 23, 1997 (1997-03-23)
Heather's best friend Katie and her family plan to move to Japan, as Heather worries they won't be friends anymore. Meanwhile, The Reppies throw a going-away party and the band announce the start of their first world tour.
19"New Adventures"March 30, 1997 (1997-03-30)
After The Reppies move into an old theater, they are introduced to Britt Summerhayes, a teacher with magic powers, who shows that learning can be fun.
20"Nice Work If You Can Get It"February 1, 1998 (1998-02-01)
After a field trip to a museum, The Reppies fantasize about what they want to be when they grow up. Meanwhile, Razz has trouble with his tests while Heather doesn't know what career to pursue.
21"No Place Like Home"February 8, 1998 (1998-02-08)
After the Reppies learn about far-away places in a round of the "Geography Game", Tessa gets the urge to travel.
22"One Man Band"February 15, 1998 (1998-02-15)
After Razz brags about a new tune he claims to have written, Razz finds himself in a pickle when he undergoes writer's block. So Razz asks Miss Summerhayes for advice on admitting the truth.
23"Picture Perfect"February 22, 1998 (1998-02-22)
While leading an environmental project, Lobo accidentally cuts down a healthy tree. Tessa takes up photography indulging the interest of a suspicious magazine journalist.
24"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"March 1, 1998 (1998-03-01)
After Derango creates "The Pick Up Club," the Reppies and some neighborhood kids compete to determine who collects the most trash.
25"Save Your Money for a Rainy Day"March 8, 1998 (1998-03-08)
Derango learns the value of dollars and sense after a bank loan nearly costs him his baseball card collection, which he puts up as collateral. Meanwhile, Lobo and Uncle Mickey plan a benefit concert for retired musicians.
26"Show and Tell"March 15, 1998 (1998-03-15)
During show and tell in school, Heather shares stories of how The Reppies became her friends. The stories include moments from "Bringing Home Baby" and "Moving Away Blues".
27"Tessa in a Teacup"March 22, 1998 (1998-03-22)
The Reppies team up to repair a tour bus, but Tessa fears she's not up to the task. So Heather helps her by tackling the smaller tasks. The Reppie-Mobile makes its debut.

Related Research Articles

<i>Mary Poppins</i> (film) 1964 film by Robert Stevenson

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers's book series Mary Poppins. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, using painted London background scenes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Andrews</span> British actress, singer and author (born 1935)

Dame Julie Andrews is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for three Tony Awards. One of the biggest box office draws of the 1960s, Andrews has been honoured with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2007, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2022. She was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Nelson</span> American musician and actor (1940–1985)

Eric Hilliard Nelson was an American musician and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1957, he began a long and successful career as a popular recording artist.

<i>Shining Time Station</i> American childrens television series

Shining Time Station is a children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment, in association with Catalyst Entertainment in seasons 2 and 3, for New York City's PBS station WNET, and was originally taped in New York City during its first season and in Toronto during the rest of its run. It incorporated sequences from the British television show Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, which was in turn based on the books of The Railway Series written by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry. The series aired on PBS from January 29, 1989, until June 11, 1993, with four hour-long "Family Specials" premiering in primetime throughout 1995. Reruns continued to air on PBS until June 11, 1998. Shining Time Station reruns aired on Fox Family from 1998 to 1999, and on Nick Jr. from June to August 2000 to promote the theatrical release of Thomas and the Magic Railroad. The series also aired on Canadian television networks such as APTN and SCN. Elements from the show were incorporated into the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Van Dyke</span> American actor and comedian (born 1925)

Richard Wayne Van Dyke is an American actor and comedian. His career has spanned over seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke is the recipient of a Golden Globe, Tony, Grammy, a Daytime Emmy, and four Primetime Emmys. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. He was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2021, and was recognized as a Disney Legend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelley Fabares</span> American actress and singer (born 1944)

Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is a retired American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom The Donna Reed Show (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom Coach (1989–1997), the latter of which earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. Her film roles include playing the leading lady to Elvis Presley in Girl Happy, Spinout and Clambake.

"Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious", also known as "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpialad'ohcious" is the thirteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 7, 1997. When Marge becomes stressed, the Simpsons hire a nanny, a Mary Poppins parody named Shary Bobbins. The episode was directed by Chuck Sheetz and written and executive produced by Al Jean and Mike Reiss. It was the last episode for which Reiss received a writing credit. In 2014, Jean selected it as one of five essential episodes in the show's history.

The Julie Andrews Hour was a television variety series starring Julie Andrews that was produced by ATV and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It aired on the ABC network in the United States. Known as the Julie Andrews Show in the UK and aired on the ITV network.

Jenny Galloway is a British actress and singer best known for her stage career, which includes Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables.

"I Love to Laugh", also called "We Love to Laugh", is a song from Walt Disney's 1964 film Mary Poppins which was composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The song is sung in the film by "Uncle Albert", and "Bert" as they levitate uncontrollably toward the ceiling, eventually joined by Mary Poppins herself. The premise of the scene, that laughter and happiness cause Uncle Albert to float into the air, can be seen as a metaphor for the way laughter can "lighten" a mood. Conversely, thinking of something sad literally brings Albert and his visitors "down to earth" again. The song states a case strongly in favor of laughter, even if Mary Poppins appears to disapprove of Uncle Albert's behavior, especially since it not only complicates the task of getting Albert down, but the infectious mood sends Bert and the Banks children into the air as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Dotrice</span> English actress (born 1955)

Karen Dotrice is a British actress. She is known primarily for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, the feature film adaptation of the Mary Poppins book series. Dotrice was born in Guernsey in the Channel Islands to two stage actors. Her career began on stage, and expanded into film and television, including starring roles as a young girl whose beloved cat magically reappears in Disney's The Three Lives of Thomasina and with Thomasina co-star Matthew Garber as one of two children pining for their parents' attentions in Poppins. She appeared in five television programmes between 1972 and 1978, when she made her only feature film as an adult. Her life as an actress concluded with a short run as Desdemona in the 1981 pre-Broadway production of Othello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Poppins (character)</span> Fictional character from the 1964 movie of the same title

Mary Poppins is a fictional character and the eponymous protagonist of P. L. Travers' books of the same name along with all of their adaptations. A magical English nanny, she blows in on the east wind and arrives at the Banks home at Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, where she is given charge of the Banks children and teaches them valuable lessons with a magical touch. Travers gives Poppins the accent and vocabulary of a real London nanny: cockney base notes overlaid with a strangled gentility.

Vasthy E. Mompoint is an American tv/film & theatre actress, singer/songwriter, dancer, voice-over artist, and director/choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larri Thomas</span> American actress

Larri Thomas was an American actress and dancer. She began her career by participating in a string of television commercials and eventually signed a contract with NBC. The network put on Thomas' shows, including Peter Gunn and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. She became one of the six Goldwyn Girls selected by Samuel Goldwyn to go on tour for the movie Guys and Dolls, in which she makes a brief appearance. Thomas was also in the movies Mary Poppins and Island of Love. She was the stand-in for Julie Andrews in some flying sequences in Mary Poppins and her stand-in in The Sound of Music. Thomas also appeared in movies and television with Dean Martin. In her later years, she appeared in Dynasty, Cheers, and Coach.

<i>Mary Poppins, Goodbye</i> 1983 film

Mary Poppins, Goodbye is a Soviet two-part musical miniseries directed by Leonid Kvinikhidze. The movie's runtime is 141 minutes spread across two episodes/parts, "Lady Perfection" and "Week Ends on Wednesday". It is based on the Mary Poppins stories by P. L. Travers. The TV series was produced by Mosfilm for Gosteleradio. The official television premiere was on January 8, 1984.

Caroline Sheen is a Welsh actress who has played leading roles on stage in the West End alongside TV and film appearances. She won a Helen Hayes award for playing the role of Mary Poppins on the National Tour of America.

Op zoek naar Evita was a 2007 talent show-themed television series produced by the AVRO in the Netherlands. It documented the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Eva Peron in the 2008 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita.

Op zoek naar Mary Poppins was a 2009 talent show-themed television series produced by the AVRO in the Netherlands and broadcast on AVRO. It premiered in late August 2009. The show searched for a new, unknown lead to play Mary Poppins in a Dutch production of the Dutch musical Mary Poppins.

<i>Weeds</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Weeds, an American dark comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan, premiered on August 8, 2005, on the premium cable network Showtime. The principal cast consisted of Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Tonye Patano, Romany Malco, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, and Kevin Nealon. The season had ten episodes, and its initial airing concluded on October 10, 2005. Season one focuses on Nancy Botwin (Parker), a single mother living in the suburban town of Agrestic, who begins dealing marijuana in an effort to maintain her family's upper middle class lifestyle following the death of her husband.

Whitney Avalon is an American actress, writer, producer, singer, and rapper best known for creating the Princess Rap Battle series and other musical comedy on YouTube, where her channel has over 600 million views.

References

  1. Abbott, Jim (July 27, 1996). "Kids' Show Stars Orlando Woman". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 11, 2018 via orlandosentinel.com. When your resume includes eight years as an entertainer at Walt Disney World, playing a TV character modeled after Mary Poppins isn't much of a leap. Maybe that's why Trudie Petersen landed the role of Britt Summerhayes, a sweetly sensible tutor to five musical dinosaurs in The Reppies. ... Others include actor Rick Stanley, who plays the band's manager; 13-year-old actress Talia Osteen, who has a recurring role.