Spot the Dog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Spot the dog)
Jump to: navigation, search
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)
Spot's First Walk book cover, featuring Spot himself, set in Century Schoolbook Infant Bold.

Spot the Dog is a series of children's books by Eric Hill, which were later made into a popular children's animation series, known as Spot, for BBC television by David McKee's King Rollo Films.

First published in 1980, Where's Spot was inspired by the reaction of Eric's two-year-old son to an advert in which lifting the flap revealed a funny picture and to a bedtime story made up to go along with it. It became tremendously successful and a series of further books featuring the character was commissioned.[1]

Later, an animated version was produced, along with translations into more than 60 languages. The character has also starred in interactive CD-ROMs, as well as appearing in-person at events throughout the world.

Contents

[edit] Book design

Century Schoolbook Infant.jpg

The books are set in the typeface Century Schoolbook Infant, a single-story version of Century Schoolbook that is very rare. The closest typeface designs available to the public based on this typeface are Century Schoolbook and Tiempo. However, official merchandise, in rare cases, will use a similar Times-style serif typeface or a handwriting-like typeface similar to Comic Sans MS to for text on the tush tags or the merchandise itself.

[edit] Characters

  • Spot: The star of the series. A yellow puppy with a brown spot on each side of his body and a brown tip on his tail, Spot is full of wonder and mischief, as well as helpfulness. Given his small, rounded ears, short tail, short, stout legs, and plump body, Spot is a beagle puppy.

[edit] Family

  • Sally: Spot's mother. She, too, is yellow and has a brown spot on her back that goes around the back of her body, as well as two brown spots on each side of her body and a brown tip on her tail. Much of the first story, Where's Spot, involves her going around the house looking for Spot.
  • Sam: Spot's father. He is also yellow, but has no spots on his body whatsoever, and he does not have a brown tip on his tail. He works at a farm.
  • Susie: Spot's little sister. Like the rest of the family, she is yellow, and has a brown spot that goes around her back of her body, but does not have a brown tip on her tail. Susie has yet to make an appearance on the TV series.
  • Smith: Spot's brother. He, too, is yellow, but no spots on his body, and a brown tip on his tail.
  • Grandpa: Spot's Grandpa and Sally's father. He is yellow as well. He has fuzzy fur, but no spots on his body. He does not have a brown tip on his tail. He's nearsighted, and in his day was the chief fireman.
  • Grandma: Spot's Grandma and Sally's mother. She, like everyone else in the family, is yellow and like Grandpa, has fuzzy fur. She has two brown spots on her back that go around the back of her body, as well as smaller brown spots on each side of her body (there were 6 spots on her body in "Spot and his Grandparents Go to the Carnival", but somehow it was reduced to 5 in "Spot's Musical Adventures: Spot helps Grandma"). She does not have a brown tip on her tail. She is usually seen wearing glasses.

[edit] Friends in the neighbourhood

  • Helen: A blue hippopotamus. She is the biggest sized and the heaviest in the group. Her mother is a tuba player for the town band. Her color is dark blue and she has sags under her eyes in the first season of the TV series, but turned light blue and the sags under her eyes are gone as of Season 2 of the TV show (this is possibly to make her less intimidating).
  • Steve: A brown monkey with a tan face. As befits his species, he is playful and full of surprises. Like many of the characters, his color turns brighter in Season 2.
  • Tom: A green crocodile. He started out dark green in color in the first season. He also sports rather sharp-looking incisors and a red coloring inside his mouth on the first season. By the second season of the television series, he loses the sharp incisors, red color, and the white eye sacs and turns to a lighter shade of green leaving him looking younger and less intimidating. He loves going fishing. Tom loves the Snare Drum, considered to be his Favorite instrument. His dad is the Mayor of the Town.
  • Clare: A green turtle. Like Tom, her shade of green turns brighter in Season 2 compared to Season 1.
  • Sidney: A yellowish-green snake. Unusually, he is a good snake in contrast to most snakes in fiction. Like the others, his color turns brighter in the second season.
  • Miss Bear: Spot's school teacher. True to her name, she is a brown bear who plays the piano. Like the others, her color turns brighter in the second season.
  • Betsy: A bear.
  • Tina: An elephant.
  • Cybil: An orange cat. Was very rude towards Spot in "Spot's Lost Bone" and scared Spot in "Spot's First Walk". Only appears in Season 1.
  • Ginger: Another cat, very polite.
  • Billy: A bear who loves to eat. Appears in Season 1.
  • Mr. Kangaroo: A kangaroo that speaks with what sounds like a New Zealand accent. Spot's neighbor. Only appears in Season 1.
  • Percy & Polly: A pair of penguins seen in "Spot's Birthday Party".
  • Leo: A lion seen in season 1.

[edit] Voice cast

[edit] British cast

  • Paul Nicholas - Narrator (Seasons 1-2, It's Fun to Learn with Spot Season 2)
  • Peter Hawkins - Narrator (It's Fun to Learn with Spot Season 1)

[edit] American cast

[edit] Spot in the Books

The first book, Where's Spot? was published in 1980, and it features Sally going on a search around the house for Spot. 2005 marked the 25th anniversary of the publication of Where's Spot? and was celebrated with a silver jacket hardcover edition of "Where's Spot?".

There are various kinds of Spot books available, from lift-the-flap books to read-along audio CD with book bundle to touch and feel books to sound books (books with an electronic sound panel on them). Some books are also bundled with plush toys, others are simple picture books. There are also pop-up books, activity books and cloth books (books which are made entirely of cloth).

[edit] Notable releases

These books are considered important to the timeline of Spot because they include important events or introduced new characters to the series.

Information in this section is researched from the Eric Hill biography/interview at the official Web site and from Amazon UK.

[edit] Where's Spot? (1980)

The first book in the series, it chronicles Sally going around the house looking for Spot. Sally and Spot are introduced in this book. Spot's main friends (Tom, Steve, Helen, and Clare) are also introduced in this book, but they were yet to be named and instead served as characters that Sally finds during her search for Spot.

[edit] Spot Goes to School (1984)

Spot's teacher, Miss Bear, is introduced in this book, and Tom, Steve, Helen, and Clare are also finally named. This book chronicles Spot's day at school (kindergarten).

[edit] Spot Goes on Holiday (1985)

Spot's dad, Sam, is introduced in this book. In this book, Spot and his family go to the beach, and Spot meets a new friend (a brown cocker spaniel).

[edit] Spot Saves China (1989)

Spot stands up to upcoming tanks, similar to the Tienamen Square protests that occurred in the same year. The book was quickly removed after a famous protest nicknamed "The Spot Revolution". Only 10,000 copies were ever published and 9,000 were burned along with Spot for causing such a fuss.

[edit] Spot Visits his Grandparents (1996)

Spot's grandparents are introduced in this book. In it, Spot visits his grandparents' place and helps out in the garden. We learn about Sally when she was only a puppy.

[edit] List of Spot sound books

Here is a quick list of Spot sound books; the list is by no means complete.

[edit] UK Releases

A list of Spot sound books released in the UK. These books are produced by Publications International and published by Frederick Warne.[2]

[edit] US Releases

The US edition of the sound books is somewhat different from the UK editions of the book. The text in them is somewhat changed, and in some cases, the title is changed as well. They are produced and published by Publications International.

[edit] Translations

Most books have been translated to Welsh (as well as the TV series, commissioned by S4C)[3] and some have also been translated into Scottish Gaelic.

[edit] Spot on TV and Videos

In estimation, there is about 6 hours and 15 minutes of Spot animation available in total. Here's a list of the episodes. Note that all of them are readily available on video and/or DVD and/or VideoCD.

The Adventures of Spot is shown sometimes on Mini CITV on the CITV Channel. Also on the website of CITV.

[edit] The Adventures of Spot: Season 1 (1986)

The first season of the TV series went into production and was animated and produced by King Rollo Films sometime in 1986. It consisted of 13 episodes, each 5 minutes long, and was aired on the BBC between 1986-1987. The episodes were voiced and narrated by Paul Nicholas and the music was composed by Duncan Lamont.

Episodes in this season:

  • Spot's Surprise Parcel
  • Spot's Lost Bone
  • Spot's First Walk
  • Spot in the Woods
  • Spot's Birthday Party
  • Where's Spot?
  • Sweet Dreams, Spot
  • Spot Goes to School
  • Spot Goes to the Circus
  • Spot Follows His Nose
  • Spot Goes Splash
  • Spot's Windy Day
  • Spot Goes on Holiday (Spot Goes to the Beach)

[edit] It's Fun to Learn With Spot - Phase 1 (1990)

In 1990, Spitfire Television and Living Doll Productions made 4 episodes of It's Fun to Learn With Spot, each approximately 15 minutes in length. These episodes were voiced by Peter Hawkins. The Spot theme song was licensed from King Rollo Films, so the familiar tune by Duncan Lamont was heard on the opening and closing. However, music on the show was kept to a minimum - the only noticeable music from the phase other than the opening and closing theme was "The Alphabet Song" in Spot's Alphabet. These episodes were never officially released in the US.

Episodes in this season:

  • Spot's Alphabet
  • Spot's Busy Year
  • Spot Learns to Count
  • Spot Tells the Time

[edit] The Adventures of Spot: Season 2 (1993)

This season of the TV series went into production in 1993, and consisted of yet another batch of 13 5-minute episodes. Production of the show has shifted back to King Rollo Films after the first phase of It's Fun to Learn With Spot. Paul Nicholas returns as the voices and narration, and Duncan Lamont returns as composer of the music. Many of the characters' looks (most notably Helen's and Tom's) are refined in this season.

Episodes in this season: Spot Goes to a Party

Spot's Winter Sports

Spot Goes to the Farm

Spot Stays Overnight (VHS version from "Spot Sleeps Over")

Spot's Favourtie Toy (VHS version from "Spot's Favorite Toy")

Spot Goes to the Park

Spot Goes to the Farm

Spot Makes a Cake

Spot At the Playground

Spot Finds A Key

Storytime with Spot

Spot's First Picnic

Spot In The Garden

[edit] It's Fun to Learn With Spot - Phase 2 (1994)

Like the first four episodes, these are 15 minutes long. Unlike the first four episodes, however, these are produced by King Rollo Films and retained the talents of Paul Nicholas and Duncan Lamont. Much of the character's refinements made to the second season of The Adventures of Spot were retained in this season. Also, at the end of each episode, there was a song reinforcing the lessons learnt in the episode - something missing in the first four episodes (with the exception of "The Alphabet Song" in Spot's Alphabet). Sadly, like the first four episodes, these were never officially released in the US.

Episodes in this season:

  • Spot's Looks at Opposites
  • Spot's First Word Game
  • Spot Looks at Colours
  • Spot Looks at Shapes

Note: The two phases of It's Fun to Learn with Spot are often listed as one series, even on Penguin Television's website. However, as noted, the two phases were produced 4 years apart by two different companies and are very different in design.

[edit] The Specials (1995 - 1997)

The specials have some notable differences from the normal series. Unlike the other episodes in the series, they're 30 minutes in length, without narration and each character is voiced distinctly. The characters' mouths also move to speech, in comparison to the other episodes which the characters' mouths remain static and the entire episode was narrated as a story. The songs in the specials are longer and more complex than those featured in 'It's fun to learn with Spot'.

Episodes:

  • Spot's Magical Christmas (1995)
  • Spot and his Grandparents Go to the Carnival (1997)

[edit] Spot's Musical Adventures (2000)

In 2000, yet another 13 episodes of Spot was produced, each with a short song in them. The format of the series was reverted back to the narration format used prior to the specials. These episodes, however, are no longer voiced by Paul Nicholas. Instead, comedienne Jane Horrocks was given the role of narrator and voices of these episodes. Music was composed by Duncan Lamont with KiCK Productions and the songs are performed by Dan Russell. The US release of the episodes (revoiced and released as Discover Spot by Disney) also features a real kids segment.

Episodes:

  • Spot's Show
  • Spot's Treehouse
  • Spot's Breakfast
  • Spot's Horse (Released in the US as Spot's Hobby Horse)
  • Spot's Grandpa
  • Spot's Umbrella
  • Spot's Band
  • Spot's Bath
  • Spot's Tent
  • Spot Tidies Up (Released in the US as Spot Cleans up)
  • Spot Helps Grandma
  • Spot's School Trip
  • Hide and Seek (Released in the US as Spot Plays Hide and Seek)

[edit] Back commits

After the release of Spot's Musical Adventures, the following interesting modifications were made to the show:

  • A live kids segment was added to Disney's US releases of The Adventures of Spot and the specials, and then to the UK release of Spot's Musical Adventures, The Adventures of Spot and the specials. It will come as no surprise if these are added to the upcoming re-release of the It's Fun to Learn With Spot episodes.
  • The Adventures of Spot episodes were revoiced by Jane Horrocks. Additionally, the original Duncan Lamont music was replaced with new tracks written with KiCK Productions, used for the Spot's Musical Adventures series. It will come as no surprise if the voices and music in the re-release of the It's Fun to Learn with Spot episodes are changed as well.

[edit] US/UK differences

  • The US releases of the show are revoiced. Jonathan Taylor Thomas (whose credentials include Young Simba in The Lion King and the TV show Home Improvement) did the voice of Spot throughout The Adventures of Spot, Ryan O'Donohue did the voice of Spot in the specials, and Haley Joel Osment (known for his the role as Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense) did the voice of Spot in Disney's release of Spot's Musical Adventures (which was released as Discover Spot) in the US. The other characters were voiced by Corey Burton, Linda Gary (only used in the first five videos), Tress MacNeille, and Jim Cummings.
  • Mr. Kangaroo in the US version was changed to a rabbit named William in the UK version. His original name and style, however, can be found on the Spot DVDs.

[edit] Music

The intro song for the show has been performed and written by various artists over the years. The original intro song, used in the UK episodes of The Adventures of Spot and It's Fun to Learn with Spot from 1986 to 2000, was written by Duncan Lamont and performed by Paul Nicholas. From 2000 onwards, the revamped intro song, used in the UK revoiced episodes of The Adventures of Spot, It's Fun to Learn with Spot, and Spot's Musical Adventures, was written by KiCK productions and performed by Andrew Brenner. The intro song in the Disney version was written and performed by Dave Kinnoin and has been used since 1993.

[edit] UK VHS releases

[edit] Spot on CD

The character of Spot has also appeared in several CDs.

[edit] Spot in the Park with the Flowerpot Gang

Released in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in the early 2000s, Spot in the Park with the Flowerpot Gang consists of 26 nursery rhymes. Apparently, it is no longer published.

Tracks:

  1. ABC Concert Theme
  2. Spot Theme
  3. Old MacDonald Had A Farm
  4. Mary Had A Little Lamb
  5. Ring A Ring A Rosie
  6. Happy Little Flower Pot
  7. Nick Nack Paddy Wack
  8. Hooray!
  9. Tip Toe
  10. Shake
  11. Statues In The Park
  12. Little Bo-Peep
  13. Farmer In The Dell
  14. Baa Baa Black Sheep
  15. Hickory Dickory Dock
  16. Doing The Hop!
  17. Can You Do What Kristy Can?
  18. Incy Wincy Spider
  19. Heel And Toe
  20. If You're Happy And You Know It
  21. Spot Says
  22. Mary Mary Quite Contrary
  23. Sing A Song Of Sixpence
  24. Humpy Dumpty
  25. Hey Diddle Diddle
  26. ABC Concert Theme (2)

[edit] Spot's First Play Songs

Another CD of nursery rhymes. It is published by Genius Entertainment and is also available in a boxed set called "Spot's Favorite Toddler Tunes".

Tracks:

  1. One, Two, I Love You
  2. The Alphabet Song
  3. If You're Happy & You Know It
  4. Say, Say, Oh Playmate
  5. Ring Around The Rosey
  6. The Green Grass Grows All Around
  7. Humpty Dumpty
  8. Do You Know The Muffin Man
  9. Mary Had A Little Lamb
  10. Hickory Dickory Dock
  11. Hot Cross Buns
  12. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
  13. Skip To My Lou
  14. Pop! Goes The Weasel

[edit] Spot's Farmyard Friends

Yet another CD of nursery rhymes. It is also published by Genius Entertainment and is also available in a boxed set called "Spot's Favorite Toddler Tunes".

Tracks:

  1. Old McDonald Had a Farm
  2. I Bought Me a Cat
  3. Farmer In The Dell
  4. Turkey In The Straw
  5. Did You Ever See A Lassie?
  6. Itsy Bitsy Spider
  7. The Ants Go Marching
  8. Buffalo Gals
  9. Three Blind Mice
  10. Shoo Fly
  11. All The Pretty Horses
  12. Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow
  13. The Fox
  14. Kookaburra

[edit] Spot's Classics for Growing Minds

Bidding on the success of the controversial Mozart Effect, Spot's Classics for Growing Minds contains 12 classical numbers from various classical composers. It is also published by Genius Entertainment and is also available in a boxed set called "Spot's Favorite Toddler Tunes".

Tracks:

  1. W.A. Mozart / Menuetto From Symphony No. 19
  2. Lange / Der Kleine Postilion
  3. Beethoven / Minuet No. 2 From Eleven Dances
  4. W.A. Mozart / Molto Allegro From Symphony N0. 40
  5. W.A. Mozart / Minuet In G
  6. W.A. Mozart / Allegro From Horn Concerto No. 3
  7. J.S. Bach / Allegro From Concerto No. 3
  8. Beethoven / Für Elise
  9. W.A. Mozart / No. 1 From Three German Dances, K. 605
  10. Beethoven / Minuet No. 4 From Eleven Dances
  11. J.S. Bach / Allegro-Assai From Concerto No. 2
  12. W.A. Mozart / Rondo Alla Turca
  13. J.S. Bach / Allegro From Concerto No. 5

[edit] Spot on CD-ROMs

Two Spot CD-ROM titles are currently available. They are published by Europress in Europe and Hasbro in the US. Both titles runs on both Microsoft Windows (Windows 95 or NT4 or newer) and Apple Macintosh (Os 8 up to OS 9.2.2, and in classic mode from PowerPC Mac OS X up until Mac OS X Leopard) computers. It should be noted that the PowerPC Mac version of the software would not run on newer Intel-based Macs as these newer Macs do not support classic PowerPC or 68k binaries, nor would they run on PowerPC Mac OS X Leopard-based PowerPC Macs as Leopard has dropped support for the classic environment the titles run on.

[edit] Spot's Busy Day

Consisting of 4 independent stories and 4 activities accessible from the main screen, Spot goes to school, plays with a ball, bakes a cake and amuses himself on a rainy day. Activities include Jigsaw puzzles, painting, cake decorating and scene creation.

[edit] Spot and his Friends

Another 4 independent stories and activities accessible from the main screen. Spot visits the farm, goes to the beach, goes to the fair and goes to a party. Activities include scene creation, sandcastle building, and dressing Spot up for the party.

[edit] Combo packs

The above two titles are also sold in a combo pack consisting of both CDs. Additionally, Spot's Busy Day also ships in a pack with a plush.

[edit] Spot on iPad

One Spot iPad title is currently available on the App Store.

[edit] Spot Goes to School

This iPad title also includes a mini game (based on one of the pages of the story) where the player returns things to their original places on a table. This electronic edition was first published in 2010 by the Penguin Group.

[edit] Spot: the Ride

In August 1995, OMC Electronics started production of a Spot kiddie ride, licensed by Copyright Group and manufactured simultaneously in both UK and Australia. It is in the form of Spot on a train like those portrayed in the Spot books, particularly Spot at the Fair. The ride made use of the ROSie version 4 control boards. When in use, it would start off with the Spot theme song (original 1985 version that was written by Duncan Lamont and sung by Paul Nicholas), followed by a BGM loop lifted from Spot Goes on Holiday (original 1985 audio track), complete with background noises from the said episode. Three buttons exist on the ride: (from right to left) one to start the ride and makes train whistle noises when pushed if the ride is in use, one with a picture of Helen, Tom and Steve which when pushed plays a clip of Steve (voiced by Paul Nicholas) saying "We're having lots of fun", and one with a picture of Spot, which plays a clip of Steve (again, voiced by Paul Nicholas) saying "Hello, Spot!" when pushed. There is also a 7-segment LED display on the ride to show how many rides were purchased and rides remaining if more than one ride is purchased.

It is said that the ride did not do well in the UK, mainly because the ride was more train than Spot, and the figure of Spot was so diminished that many children failed to spot him.[citation needed]

Rumor has it that another different Spot kiddie ride design exists and was manufactured in Australia, however, suggesting that the ride did fare better in Australia. The design of the ride is said to be in the guise of Spot sitting in a reindeer sleigh (likely modeled after the sleigh shown in Spot's Magical Christmas, which belonged to Santa Claus), and the child would sit next to Spot. However, no solid account of such ride being manufactured could be found.

Units from both UK and Australia have been exported worldwide.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Search/QuickSearchProc/1,,Author_1000015103,00.html
  2. ^ http://www.funwithspot.com/mainGu.asp?menuCode=INF&subMenuCode=SPB
  3. ^ http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/eric+hill/dilwen+m-+evans/smot+ar+y+fferm/4601402/

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spot_the_Dog&oldid=478834085"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages