3rd & Bird
| 3rd & Bird | |
|---|---|
Title card
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| Created by | Josh Selig |
| Directed by | Jennifer Oxley (Creative Director) |
| Starring | Eden Jarrett Sam Lewis Morgan Gayle Preston Nyman Michael Fenton Stevens Charlotte Leslie-Cameron Anna Nygh David Beckford Candida Gubbins |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 50 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Josh Selig Kay Benbow Chris Rose |
| Producer(s) | Fred Weinberg |
| Running time | 10 minutes approx. |
| Distributor | BBC |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| First shown in | CBeebies |
| Original run | 4 June 2008 – 4 April 2010 (Easter) |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Wonder Pets!, Oobi |
3rd & Bird is a British television programme aimed at young children, commissioned by Michael Carrington and broadcast on the BBC, which revolves around a community of birds and their adventures. The series premiered on CBeebies in June 2008. Described in its initial press release as "a charming new animated series all about community",[1] the programme format generally involves one or more of the characters encountering a problem which must be solved using the social skills which pre-school children must develop in order to make their way in the world.
3rd & Bird was created by Josh Selig for Little Airplane Productions. Like Selig's previous venture, Wonder Pets!, the show uses an animation style known as "photo-puppetry", in which the animation is created by the use of manipulation of photographs.
Contents
Cast[edit]
Main cast[edit]
- Samuel - The eldest of the Lovebird children, Samuel is a green lovebird. He acts as a role model to his younger sister, Muffin. Voiced By Sam Lewis (Jake Siegfried in the US Version)
- Muffin - An early preschool lovebird. Not yet old enough to fly, she usually rides on Samuel's back. She is sometimes a little spoilt however due to her being sad at everything she won't get; she would also beg for it, or try to show the community sympathy, but she isn't a very rude character; there is also some manners from her. She calls Samuel "Sam'el", Rudy "Udy", and Mr. Beakman "Beaky". Voiced By Eden Jarrett (Tori Feinstein in the US Version)
- Rudy - Rudy is a cockatoo in the program (however, she resembles a cockatiel more closely), Samuel's best friend. She wears a bracelet of colored stones on her ankle. Voiced By Morgan Gayle (Hayley Feinstein in the US Version)
- Mr. Beakman - Michael Fenton Stevens - The children's teacher, a wise toucan who frequently acts as the voice of parental authority. He shows an interest in mariachi bands, as shown in "Mariachi Muffin!"
- Quinn - Preston Nyman (Theodore Walsh in the US Version) - A puffin who works as an inventor. He occasionally displays arrogance, as he believes that his ability to build unique contraptions makes him better than the rest of the birds.
- Missy - Charlotte Leslie-Cameron - a French Great Blue Turaco.
- Mrs. Billingsley - Anna Nygh - a New Zealand gardening kiwi
Supporting cast[edit]
- Mr. and Mrs. Lovebird - David Beckford and Candida Gubbins (Greg Abbey & Rena Strober in the US Version) - Muffin and Samuel's rarely glimpsed parents.
- Baby Jordan (Reiss Lewin) - Mr. Beakman's nephew, who often uses big words like his uncle, he calls Muffin "Uffin".
- Elliot (Ethann Lewis) - A worm who is friends with Samuel, Muffin, and Rudy.
The cast also includes world champion musical whistler, Michael Barimo, whose whistling accompanies the music of the show.
Episodes[edit]
The original press release stated that 52 episodes of 3rd & Bird would be made.[2] To date[dated info], 25 episodes have been shown from season 1:
- Fly Muffin! (aired 4 June 2008)
- Bird Theatre! (aired 11 June 2008)
- A Chorus for Us! (aired 18 June 2008)
- To Play or Not to Play (aired 25 June 2008)
- Muffin Express! (aired 2 July 2008)
- The Rudy Show! (aired 9 July 2008)
- Super Slide! (aired 16 July 2008)
- Costume Party! (aired 23 July 2008)
- Meet Elliott! (aired 30 July 2008)
- Pogo Nest! (aired 6 August 2008)
- Samuel's Dance! (aired 13 August 2008)
- Rolling Along! (aired 20 August 2008)
- Perfect Picnic! (aired 27 August 2008)
- Pie Fair! (aired 4 September 2008)
- Muffin's Shop! (aired 11 September 2008)
- Dinosaur! (aired 18 September 2008)
- Go Camping! (aired 25 September 2008)
- Starry Night! (aired 1 October 2008)
- Amazing Muffin! (aired 8 October 2008)
- Ice Skating! (aired 15 October 2008)
- Playhouse! (aired 22 October 2008)
- Cowgirl! (aired 29 October 2008)
- Muffin's Plant! (aired 11 December 2008)
- Baby Jordan! (aired 18 December 2008)
- A Very Squooky Christmas! (aired 25 December 2008)
Another 24 episodes have been shown for Season 2:
- Muffinland! (aired 21 November 2009)
- Meow Kitty! (aired 28 November 2009)
- Mariachi Muffin! (aired 2 December 2009)
- Beach Branch! (aired 9 December 2009)
- Elliot the Budgie! (aired 16 December 2009)
- Art Show! (aired 23 December 2009)
- Down to Earth! (aired 30 December 2009)
- Road Trip! (aired 4 January 2010)
- Paint Job! (aired 11 January 2010)
- Storm! (aired 18 January 2010)
- Scooter! (aired 25 January 2010)
- Race! (aired 1 February 2010)
- Train! (aired 6 February 2010)
- The Moon! (aired 8 February 2010)
- Balloon Ride! (aired 15 February 2010)
- Help Daddy! (aired 22 February 2010)
- Ahoy! (aired 8 March 2010)
- Robot! (aired 15 March 2010)
- Baby! (aired 21 March 2010)
- Muffin's Friend! (aired 28 March 2010)
- Aunt Esther! (aired 4 April 2010)
Merchandising[edit]
In January 2009, BBC Worldwide announced plans to release 3rd & Bird merchandise, including wooden stacking toys, pull along vehicles, play sets and musical instruments, as well as wheeled toys, including trikes, scooters, and ride-ons.[3] The product line was released in spring 2010.
Two compact discs featuring the 3rd & Bird theme song (along with many other CBeebies show tracks) were released by CBeebies titled CBeebies: Song Time (2010) and CBeebies: The Album (2012).
DVDs/Books[edit]
A DVD containing 8 episodes of the series was released in March 2009.,[4] and will be accompanied by a series of books tying in to the show. The DVD release, entitled Bird's The Word!, contains the following episodes:
Fly Muffin!;
Bird Theatre!;
Muffin Express!;
A Chorus for Us!;
To Play or Not to Play!;
The Rudy Show!;
Meet Elliott!;
Costume Party!
A second DVD, Muffin Land!, was released in June 2009, and contained the following episodes:
Muffinland!;
Muffin's Shop!
Dinosaur!;
Go Camping!;
Playhouse!;
Cowgirl!;
Muffin's Plant!;
Baby Jordan!
References[edit]
- ^ http://www.tvthrong.co.uk/cbeebies/cbeebies-new-shows-carrie-davids-popshop-grandpa-in-my-pocket-3rd-bird
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2008/03_march/bird.shtml
- ^ http://www.toynewsmag.com/news/30798/TOY-FAIR-09-BBC-reveals-3rd-Bord-partners
- ^ http://www.licensing.biz/news/2291/Mattel-signs-3rd-and-Bird-licence
External links[edit]
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