JoJo's Circus
| JoJo's Circus | |
|---|---|
| Format | musical, comedy series, preschool |
| Created by | Jim Jinkins David Campbell Lisa Jinkins Eric Weiner |
| Starring | Madeleine Martin Robert Smith Jayne Eastwood Austin Di Iulio (season 1) Keeler Sandhaus (season 2) Diana Peressini Tajja Isen |
| Country of origin | Canada United States |
| No. of episodes | 64 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Disney Channel |
| Original run | September 28, 2003 – February 14, 2007 |
JoJo's Circus is a musical comedy series for preschool children. The series debuted in 2003 and airs in the United States on the Disney Channel as part of the Playhouse Disney morning programming schedule at 6am eastern time. The program airs daily on both the UK and Australian versions of Playhouse Disney using the original American content. Since 2005, JoJo's Circus has been shown on GMTV's children's weekend slot Toonattik. As of June 17, 2011, it has been confirmed that it will move into its new home Disney Junior, which will replace the soon-to-be defunct channel SOAPnet.
Contents |
[edit] Concept
The series stars JoJo Tickle — a six-year-old, female clown — (in a similar style of Pinky Dinky Doo); and her fellow residents of Circus Town, a self-sufficient city whose cultural center is the "Big Top" circus tent. The show stresses simple, everyday lessons such as playing with others, personal hygiene, responsibility, and safety. Also paramount is the show's focus on exercise: JoJo often asks for audience participation (such as clapping, jumping, and stretching) from viewers. It features songs music by Jeffrey Zahn and lyrics by Judy Rothman.
Characters JoJo and her pet lion, Goliath, re-appeared in a exercise learning series/interstitial called Feeling Good with JoJo. JoJo's circus will be on Disney Junior again on March 23rd 2012
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Season 1 (2003-2004)
- 1. Easy as Pie/Take a Bow
- 2. Uncle Flippy's Funny Farm/Up, Up and Away!
- 3. Hide and Go Dinky/Fire Chief Says
- 4. Confetti Caper/JoJo on the Tightrope
- 5. Try These On for Boing!/Happy Birthday Tater!
- 6. Cotton Andy/Nighty Night
- 7. Skeebo's Missing Hat Trick/Seal Fright
- 8. The Circus Shh Shh/The Little Big Top Boogie Band
- 9. Drum Roll Please/Cannonball JoJo
- 10. Flower Shower/The Itchy-Oochy Scratch Patch
- 11. Messy Mess/Pop Up!
- 12. The Whatchamadoodle/What's the Trick?
- 13. Zero Heroes/The Spudinski's New Act
- 14. JoJo Signs Up/The Un-Average Day
- 15. Mirror, Mirror/Trina Trips Up
- 16. The Clown Family Picnic/Dinky's Dance
- 17. Hamster-cize!/Shoo Fly Shoo!
- 18. The Last Roar/Helping Hands
- 19. Skeebo's Pet/Follow that Rainbow
- 20. A Case of the Sillies/Hide and Go-Liath
- 21. Funny Bunnies/Ivan the Bearable
- 22. JoJo to the Rescue!/A Clown Ride
- 23. Charlie the Clown Baby/Fire House Day
- 24. Quiet Magic/Too Many Toys
[edit] Season 2 (2004-2006)
- 1. Sleepover Surprises/How Does Your Garden Grow?
- 2. Fit as a Tickle/Pedal Pushers
- 3. A New Twist/Lost and Found
- 4. The Best Breakfast Ever/Popcorn Panic!
- 5. Frown Fighters/Goliath the Great!
- 6. Hi There Small Fry!/My Dinner with the Tightropes
- 7. My Favorite Frogsitters/Night of the Teddy Bears' Dance
- 8. 100 Days and Counting/Hoop Happy
- 9. Charlie the Clown Baby Returns/Fishing Trip
- 10. Goliath Gets a Boo Boo/Join the Club
- 11. The Mane Event/Stuck on You
- 12. The Robot Clown/Mice Capades
- 13. A Circus Town Wedding (full episode)
- 14. Get Crabby/Bouncing Bowling Ball
- 15. The Octopus Ride/Hiccup Helper
- 16. Follow that Monkey/"X" Marks the Spot
- 17. Happy Hoppy Day!/Brushing Up!
- 18. The Cricketeers/Tickled Pink
- 19. Practice Makes Perfect/Happy Not-Birthday, Skeebo!
- 20. Best Pet in Circus Town/Picture Perfect
- 21. Make It Snappy/Harpo Come Home
- 22. Circus Town Hoedown/Time Flies
- 23. The Giggle Kite/Chores Galore
- 24. A Snowclown for Dinky/Skating Away
[edit] Season 3 (2006-2007)
- 1. Simply Ear-Resistible/Hula is Cool-a
- 2. Ride 'Em Goliath/Silly Silly Putt-Putt
- 3. Princess for a Day (full episode)
- 4. Pie in the Sky (full episode)
- 5. My Granny's Shoes (full episode)
- 6. JoJo and the Beanstalk (full episode)
- 7. Circus Town Makeover (full episode)
- 8. My Clowny Valentine/Hop Hooey!
[edit] Special Episodes
- 1. The Legend of Clownfoot (full 2003 episode for Halloween)
- 2. A Circus Town Christmas (full 2003 episode for Christmas Day/the Holidays)
- 3. The Thanksgiving Hip-Hooray Parade (full 2004 episode for Thanksgiving Day)
[edit] Recurring themes
JoJo's Circus relies on repetition in its structure. Each segment (of which there are usually two during the show's approximately 24 minute runtime) always begins with JoJo searching for her pet lion Goliath who is always hiding. JoJo then is presented with the situation that will occupy the theme of the show. A song, usually about the resolution of the situation, is then sung by JoJo.
At the conclusion of each episode, a secondary character asks, "What did you learn today, JoJo?", and before she can reply, JoJo is whisked away for the finale, the "spotlight moment." JoJo is then placed on a makeshift stage, while the "Spotlight Moment" song plays, asking what she's learned, is sung. Subsequently, JoJo explains what she has learned in the course of the episode.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Major characters
- JoJo Tickle
- Voiced by Madeleine Martin
JoJo, the main character of the show, is an inquisitive and active six-year-old clown whose parents are famous circus clowns. She's kind-hearted, has a great sense of humor, boundless curiosity, and excitement about life; and she loves to clown around.
- Goliath the Lion
- Voiced by Robert Smith
JoJo's pet and conscience, Goliath is a playful but loyal four-year-old lion that attends school just like JoJo. He's also part of the Tickle family. Because of his playfulness, he hides from JoJo in the beginning of each episode.
- Skeebo Seltzer
- Voiced by Austin Di Iulio (Season 1) and Keeler Sandaus (Season 2)
Skeebo, known as the class clown, is JoJo's best friend, and attends school with her and the other circus kids. Skeebo's eager to make people laugh by testing new jokes, slight gags, and tricks...that sometimes don't work. Skeebo has a pet dog named Harpo.
- Croaky Frogini
- Voiced by Diana Peressini
Croaky, the great leaper of the group, met JoJo on the first day of school, when they realized they had different abilities and agreed to help each other learn different tricks.
- Trina Tightrope
- Voiced by Tajja Isen
Trina is a ballet dancing, tightrope walker. She comes across as abrupt and snobbish on occasion, but apologizes for her mistakes when she becomes aware of them.
- Mr. Tickle
- Voiced by David Sparrow (Season 1) and Noah Weisberg (Season 2)
Mr. Tickle — JoJo's dad and Peaches's husband — is a jolly clown who often blasts off to work in a cannon.
- Peaches Tickle
- Voiced by Marnie McPhail (Seasons 1-2) and Shannon Perreault (Season 3)
Peaches is JoJo's mom and Mr. Tickle's wife. She is a tall, skinny clown who is full of sunshine and is often makes goodies for her family and Circus Town residents. She's klutzy by nature, but a good juggler and sometimes catches 15 objects in the air when she accidentally trips.
- Mrs. Kersplatski
- Voiced by Jayne Eastwood
She's JoJo's teacher and the big top ringmaster. A warm and encouraging teacher, Mrs. Kersplatski gives the circus kids a strong sense of mastery and confidence, with her combination of hard work and play. In the second season, she married Mr. Muscles and became Maya's stepmother. She is very clumsy and after she trips, her catchphrase is "I'm OK!"
[edit] Minor characters
- Dinky the Elephant
- Voiced by Julie Lemieux
Dinky is a sweet and frisky elephant. While Dinky may be clumsy and somewhat oafish, when he dances, he turns into "Mr. Graceful."
- Tater Spudinski
- Voiced by Cole Caplan
Tater is one of the two kids in the Spudinski clan. His sleepy potato nature seems to be the antithesis to the "get up and go" feel of the show, but sometimes he can't help but join in the fun. In the second season, he has a 1 year old baby sister named Small Fry.
- Balboa the Snake
- Voiced by Julie Lemieux
Balboa is a contortionist snake with a talent for making number and letter shapes. Balboa also has a knack for troublemaking. He thinks it's fun to coax JoJo and others into doing what they are not supposed to do, and the kids are sometimes susceptible to Balboa's charms.
- Fellini and Federico Frogini
- Voice actor for Fellini: Neil Crone; voice actor for Federico: John Stocker)
Also called the Flying Froginis, the two brothers are expert jumpers and trapeze artists. Fellini and Federico are uncle and father, respectively, to Croaky.
- Mr. Muscles
- Voiced by Mark Consuelos (Season 1) and Erik Estrada (Seasons 2-3)
He's the circus strong man and a physical education instructor. He knows a lot of exercises that he teaches to those in Circus Town. He has a daughter named Maya and recently married Mrs. Kersplatski, but it's not known whether he was divorced or widowed.
- Maya Muscles
- Voiced by Phoebe McAuley
Maya is the daughter of Mr. Muscles and stepdaughter of Mrs. Kersplatski. She's fairly new to both Circus Town and JoJo's class. She has red hair, and can be shy at times but loves to get up and go.
[edit] Other Characters
- Dr. Seltzer
- Voiced by Kathy Greenwood
Skeebo's mother, she is Circus Town's only doctor and Fire Chief Seltzer's wife. Though she's not in many episodes, her most notable appearance is in the episode "A Case of the Sillies."
- Fire Chief Seltzer
- Voiced by Patrick McKenna
He's Skeebo's father and the chief of the local fire department in Circus Town.
- Mr. and Mrs. Spudinski
- Voice actor for Mr. Spudinski: Bruce Bayley Johnson; voice actor for Mrs. Spudinski: Julie Lemieux
Tater's parents, who have the same sleepy nature as he does. It's revealed in "The Thanksgiving Hip-Hooray Parade" episode that Tater calls his father "Daddy Spud."
- Small Fry Spudinski
- Voiced by Julie Lemieux
Small Fry is Tater's baby sister and one of the two kids in the Spudinski clan. She first appeared in the episode "Hi There, Small Fry!"
- Mrs. Pachyderm
- Voiced by Judy Marshak
Dinky's mother; she's also been referred to as Mrs. Elephant.
- Babalulu
- Voiced by Kathy Brier
She's Circus Town's pretzel and ice cream shop vendor. JoJo and her friends sometimes go to her ice cream parlor for a snack. JoJo taught Babalulu how to make pretzel twists in the episode "A New Twist."
- Jumberto the Jackrabbit
- Voiced by Jonathan Potts
Jumberto is a rabbit magician whose tricks rarely work.
- Terrific the Tiger Tamer
- Voiced by Ed Saheley
Terrific is a famous tiger tamer in Circus Town. He has a tiger named Tippoo.
- Uncle Flippy
- Voiced by Tony Daniels
A farmer and JoJo's uncle, Uncle Flippy owns a farm on the outskirts of Circus Town. On the episode entitled "Uncle Flippy's Funny Farm," JoJo and everyone in Circus Town helped him after a giant pie creamed his farm. Strangely, he has a pet tiger.
- Ballooney Baloney
- Voiced by Darren Frost
Known for making balloon animals, Ballooney Baloney can make any animal shaped balloons with his hands. He has a grandson named Bailey.
- Cotton Andy
- Voiced by Paul Soles
Cotton Andy is a cotton candy vendor whose cotton candy machine is named "Whoopsabelle" and was also a priest for the wedding episode "A Circus Town Wedding."
- Charlie the Clown Baby
Charlie is one of JoJo's cousins whom the Tickles sometimes babysit.
- Grandma and Grandpa Tickle
- Voice actor for Grampy Tickle: Keith Knight; voice actor for Young Grampy: Joshua Isen; voice actor for Granny Tickle: Kate Gallant
JoJo's grandparents, both of them were experts on clowning around before JoJo was born. Their famous act is the "Silly Shoe Shuffle," which Granny Tickle passed the act to both JoJo and Goliath.
- Terracotta
- Voiced by Kristen Bone
Terracotta is the little girl who looks like a flower pot, and she bought JoJo's silly skates in the "Too Many Toys" episode.
- The Firefighters
- They carry JoJo off at the end of each show and help build the makeshift stage for JoJo's "spotlight moment."
- Princess Josephina
- Voiced by Tajja Isen
She's JoJo's royal cousin who lives in Really Royal Land. She looks like JoJo and has a pet lion named Hercules who looks just like Goliath. She appeared in the episode "Princess for a Day," where she and JoJo decide that it would be fun to trade places.
- Bailey Ballooney
- Voiced by Matthew Josten
Ballooney Baloney's grandson. Bailey Ballooney normally attends Small Top Hills School and only visited JoJo's class on Valentine's Day. JoJo comes up with a special way to make him a valentine in the episode "My Clowny Valentine."
[edit] Music
Every episode contains a short tune dealing with the topics of the episode. (Many of these songs can be found on three CDs: Songs from JoJo's Circus, Songs from Under the Big Top!, and Playhouse Disney: Imagine and Learn with Music.) The genres of the songs range from doo-wop to funk to rock to early punk. Phrases like "stretch your arms" and "jump up high" are common lyrics. Most of the songs are educational — telling kids how to bow, stretch, greet people, wash their hair, and clean up after themselves — while a few are more entertaining, such as Cotton Candy Sure Is Sweet or The Gum Drop Song. The theme song of the show is performed by the band Becky.
[edit] DVD releases
The series has two DVD releases: "Take a Bow" and "Animal a Go-Go." The "Take a Bow" DVD contains the "Easy As Pie," "Take a Bow," "JoJo on the Tightrope," and "Happy Hoppy Day" episodes. "Animal a Go-Go" has "Flower Shower," "Uncle Flippy's Funny Farm," "Try These on for Boing," and "Brushing Up." Both DVDs have the opening theme, JoJo and Goliath in interstitials, printable coloring pages, and other bonus features.
Two more JoJo's Circus episodes are available on Higglytown Heroes DVDs: "The Spudinski's New Act" is on Higglytown's "Heroes on the Move" DVD, and "A Clown Ride" is on the Higglytown "To the Rescue" disc. The holiday themed "A Circus Town Christmas" is included on the "A Very Playhouse Disney Holiday" DVD.
[edit] External links
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