Handy Manny

File:HandyManny.jpg

Handy Manny and his tools

Handy Manny is a TV animated children's program launched in 2006, part of the Playhouse Disney morning block of the Disney Channel. The show features the adventures of Manny Garcia, a bilingual Hispanic handyman, and his anthropomorphic, talking tools. Manny’s portrayal as a stereotypical Latino labor worker has led some to label the show as racist.

The show was created by Roger Bollen, Marilyn Sadler and Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Rick Gitelson. The animation is produced by Toronto-based Nelvana and features the voice performances of Wilmer Valderrama, Tom Kenny, Dee Bradley Baker, Fred Stoller, Nika Futterman, Kath Soucie, Carlos Alazraqui and Nancy Truman. Special guest stars in the series have included Lance Bass, Kurtwood Smith, Shelley Morrison, Fred Willard, Penn Jillette, Jon Polito, Brian George, Snoop Dogg and Bob Glouberman. The theme song is performed by Los Lobos.

Three DVD compilations have been released:
Handy Manny: Tooling Around
Handy Manny: Fixing it Right
Handy Manny: Manny's Pet Roundup

Cast

Main human characters

• Manuel "Manny" Garcia (voiced by Wilmer Valderrama)

The No.1 repairman of Sheetrock Hills who has living, talking tools. He has a reputation for helping everyone, and was awarded the "Good Citizens Award" last season, after unknowingly repairing his own prize trophy. Manny gets most of his jobs via phone calls, and generally responds straight away. He either walks, carrying his tool box, or drives in a red pickup truck. he is a puerto rican, mexica, descent

• Kelly (voiced by Nancy Truman)

Owner of a hardware store frequented by Manny and his tools. Manny has a contractor's account with Kelly's Hardware and makes payments on 30-day terms. The show does not often mention the exchange of currency because it is generally considered irrelevant to the show's target demographic. It also appears as if Manny has a "thing" for Kelly, and vice versa.

• Mr. Lopart (voiced by Tom Kenny)

Leonard Francis Lopart - known by the main characters simply as Mr. Lopart is the owner of a candy store next to Manny's workshop. Mr Lopart's know-it-all attitude and refusal of Manny's assistance often lands him in trouble, usually resulting in falling on the floor.

The tools

The interaction among Manny's seven tools is a very important part of the show.

"Felipe" - is a Phillips Screwdriver who always considers himself a very important tool. Sometimes, his ideas could make a problem worse. He provides a lot of the Spanish language content in the show, translating for the other tools. He is voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.
"Turner" - is a Flat Screwdriver who can be grumpy and cynical. He and Felipe are rivals but in the episode " Supremoguy " he helped save Felipe from falling off a scaffold. He is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
"Stretch" - is a Tape measure who loves to measure things. His ideas seems to work during a problem, and he is able to count well too. He is voiced by Nika Futterman.
"Squeeze" - is a pair of Pliers who is sometimes impatient to fix something (usually with bolts) Her ideas could be wrong at times. She is voiced by Julianna Rose Mauriello.
"Pat" - is a Hammer who is talkative, funny, and not very intelligent. He also had amnesia in the episode " Pat the Screwdriver ". His catchphrase is "I'm a hammer" He is voiced by Tom Kenny.
"Dusty" - is a Saw who gives good advice. Her ideas usually seem to work. She loves to cut things like wood. She is voiced by Katherine Soucie.
"Rusty" - is a Pipe Wrench who is not very brave and a worrywart. He sometimes needs Manny's assistance to get courage. He is voiced by Fred Stoller.

The Complete Episode Guide

Main article: List of Handy Manny episodes

Crew

• Executive Producer: Rick Gitelson
• Writers: Rick Gitelson, Jeff Wynne
• Directors: Ted Bastien, Sue Blue
• Composer: Fernando Rivas
• Layout Animation: Alexandru Eana
• Animation: Barry A Sanders

International broadcasting

• Australia and New Zealand: Playhouse Disney: Brought intact from the original version and currently only available on subscriber television providers Foxtel and Austar in Australia, and SKY and TV2 in New Zealand.

• Denmark: Playhouse Disney: Not translated but also Handy Manny, as in the other countries it is bilingual, but the main language is Danish and the Spanish words are translated into English.

• Germany: Playhouse Disney: Translated as Meister Manny (Master Manny), the series is still bilingual, but the main language is German and the few words in Spanish.

• Italy: Playhouse Disney: Translated as Manny Tuttofare (Manny Handyperson), just like the Spanish translation, the series is still bilingual, but the main language is Italian and the few words in Spanish are translated into English.

• Portugal: Disney Channel: Translated as Manny Manicas, the English and the Spanish are both translated in Portuguese.

• Spain: Playhouse Disney: Translated as Manny Manitas, the series keep its bilingual format, but inverting the English and Spanish languages. In Spain Manny speaks mostly Spanish with a few words in English.

• Sweden: Playhouse Disney: Translated as Händige Manny, as in the other countries it is bilingual, but the main language is Swedish and the Spanish words are translated into English.

• United Kingdom: Playhouse Disney: Brought intact from the original version and currently only available on the subscriber television providers BSkyB and Virgin Media

External links

• Handy Manny Official Disney Website
• Handy Manny's section on Disney.com.au
• Manny Manitas (Handy Manny's) section on Disney.es (Spanish)
• About.com article