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<big>'''Raggs'''</big>
{{News release|date=March 2010}}
[[File:Example.jpg]]
{{Notability|date=March 2010}}


THIS PAGE IS BEING UPDATED.
'''The Raggs Band''' is a US-based musical troupe of five [[Dog|canine]] characters who have played over 2,000 live performances on four continents since 2002.


==Creation==
In 2005, the colorful canines secured one of the largest orders for a television series in the world from [[Seven Network]] in [[Sydney, Australia|Sydney]], Australia. [[Raggs LLC]], the parent company, partnered with [[Southern Star Entertainment]], to co-produce and distribute the ''Raggs'' series. (Southern Star Entertainment is a subsidiary of [[Southern Star Group]], now owned by [[Endemol]].)


[http://www.raggs.com www.raggs.com]
The first 65 half-hour episodes of the ''Raggs'' TV series began airing daily on Seven Network and on PBS on January 2, 2006, in the prime 9 a.m. timeslot. Series one quickly garnered strong reviews and high ratings, with shows often hitting 50% market share for the time period. {{Citation needed|date=July 2007}} With the success of the show, a second series of 65 episodes was ordered. ''Raggs'' wrapped production of Series II in December, 2006, with the first new episodes airing before the holidays. As of January 2007, Raggs has produced 13 completed shows and 120 original songs. All episodes were produced by Emulsion Arts and Southern Star Entertainment in association with Raggs LLC. and [[KQED (TV)|KQED San Francisco]]. It was not distributed via PBS, but rather by [[American Public Television]].


{| class="wikitable"
On December 16, 2006, the Raggs Kids Club Band was honored to perform on the nationally televised Australian Christmas special, ''Carols in the Domain'', which was filmed before a live audience of nearly 100,000 people in the [[Sydney Botanical Gardens]]. [[The Wiggles]] were the only other children's group invited to perform at this concert. In January 2007, the Raggs Kids Club Band began a 50-venue tour in Australia. The first CD from the TV series titled "Let's Play" hit stores [[Big W]] (Australia's Woolworth) exclusively in January. DVDs are scheduled to be released in Australia in March 2007.
|-

| '''Format''' || Children's television series
==Characters==
|-
The show and the live group stars five puppy characters<ref>[http://www.raggs.com/stations/pdf/Raggs%20Character%20Bios.pdf Raggs Character Bios](.pdf)</ref> that play [[Rock and roll|rock 'n' roll music]] as the Raggs Kids Club Band. The group lives together with their pet cat in their own clubhouse:
| '''Created by''' || Toni Steedman (Zelickson)

|-
*'''Raggs''' is the blue dog that plays lead guitar and in rare cases, drums. Though he is the leader, Raggs is the youngest member in the band. His favorite color is red, which is the color of his scarf-it also has a monogrammed, yellow "R". His enthusiasm is contagious and he loves to play. His favorite game is to chase his long, tufted tail. Raggs favorite music is rock and pop. His birthday is August 16.
| '''Theme music composers''' || Rebecca Kent Story and Michael McGinnis<br />
*'''Trilby''' plays bass guitar. She is violet colored and is the fashionista and sports enthusiast, excelling at soccer. Sometimes, she can be shy, but she occasionally does some practical jokes. Trilby's birthday is July 14. Her favorite music is pop. Trilby's favorite color is blue. She loves flowers; in fact, her favorite flower is an iris. Trilby sometimes pretends to be a princess. Her favorite animal is a horse, in which her favorite breed is a Morgan.
Concentrix Music and Sound Design
*'''Pido''' is the yellow one that plays drums. Pido loves to eat, so it figures that he is also the chef, creating healthy and tasty food for him and his friends. He is laid back and thinks slow when the band isn't performing, but has a passion to go to the beach to surf. Whenever Pido has an idea, he jumps and shouts, "Stand back! Brain attack!" His favorite music is rock. His birthday is in November 2.
|-
*'''B. Max''' (B. Maxwell Oliver is the orange puppy's full name) primarily plays piano keyboard, but can play air guitar, and other instruments. B. Max, despite being in a wheelchair is the crazed inventor in the group and has created such unique inventions like "The Happy Meter", "The Birdspooker", "The Sniffometer 7000", "The Thermo-Meter 9000", "The Rainless Sky 5000" and more. In the show, after rolling his arms and saying "I feel an invention coming on!", he quickly wheels to his special inventing room to create his invention. Other than colored lights, his special room is a secret place to the audience. He likes rock or pop. He was born February 17.
| '''Country of Origin''' || United States
*'''Razzles''' is the lead singer and plays the synthesizer, cutting songs on the turntable. She also plays tambourine, sometimes drums and other percussion instruments. Razzles, who is colored green, is a natural organizer who also loves to dance. Razzles' favorite color is also the same color as her, green. She likes pop. Razzles loves rainbows and rainy days so she can see a rainbow. Her birthday was May 3. Razzles' favorite flower is a tiger lily. Razzles loves fashion; she sometimes pretends to have a fashion show in her room. Razzles' favorite animal is a bear. Her favorite kind of bear is a grizzly.
|-
*'''Dumpster the Cat''' is the puppies' pet. He is egotistical- he likes teasing the dogs and making petty exploitations towards them. While living either with the dogs at the clubhouse or is on top of a bush, he speaks to the audience about his life, desires, and dislikes while living with them. He does not talk to the band members often.<br>Outside the clubhouse, when he talks to children directly, he is friendlier and he broadens the episode's subject by asking questions and getting what they know. He admits that he knows less than the children, but he does, occasionally, make the talk fun by adding his wisecracking humor. He craves stinky fish. Dumpster is played by an Australian, [[Adam Kronenberg]].
| '''Language(s)''' || English (U.S.)<br />

English (Australian)<br />
==Raggs history==
Hebrew (Israel)
{{Ref improve section|date=September 2010}}
|-
Toni Steedman, a former advertising executive from Charlotte, North Carolina, created Raggs as an imaginary pet for her daughter Alison in 1990. The stories about a mischievous rock 'n' roll loving dog were shared during hour-long carpool drives with the neighborhood children. Within a few years, the children outgrew the stories and it seemed as though Raggs would be retired to the list of other fond childhood memories.
|''' No. of Seasons''' || 3

|-
In 1997, Steedman, who owned Steedman Wilson, Inc., a regional advertising agency, revived the pup for use in a regional mall marketing program called The Raggs Kids Club, where Raggs gained a whole new fan base. By 2000, The Raggs Kids Club events were hosted in 30 regional malls nationally, including: Valley View Mall in Roanoke, Virginia; Vialia Mall in Visalia, California; Southglenn Mall in Littleton, Colorado; Fox Valley Center in Chicago, Illinois, and University Mall in Tampa, Florida. As Raggs LLC focused on television production and touring, The Raggs Kids Club program was phased out of regional malls by late 2006.
| '''No. of Episodes''' || 195

|-
The Raggs Kids Club program required music, videos, premiums, and activities, all often centering on community events such as Earth Day, Bicycle Safety Day, etc. By 2000, Steedman was encouraged to expand the property to include more characters and more materials.
| '''No. of Songs''' || 200+

|-
In 2001, The Raggs Kids Club added the following: Trilby, the bass player; Pido, the drummer; B. Max on keyboards; Razzles as the official band manager and tambourine player. The band's first CD, "Pawsuuup!", was released in early 2001 and won numerous industry awards including iParentin Award, National Parenting Seal of Approval, Creative Child Awards, and Children's Music Web Award.
|<big>'''''PRODUCTION'''''</big>

|-
In mid-2001, Raggs produced the first US video titled, "Pawsuuup! Tour", a one-hour music video about the band's performances and behind the scenes antics. "Pawsuuup! Tour" also aired as a television special on both public broadcast and commercial television stations in 2002, 2003, and 2005. As a DVD, "Pawsuuup! Tour" earned several national awards, was nominated for two Regional Emmys in 2004, and was critically acclaimed, earning a 3.5 out of 4 stars from Suite 101 Family Entertainment film critic Nicholas Moreau, tied for the highest-ever rating for an independently produced DVD.
| '''Location''' || Australian Broadcast Company (ABC) Studio<br />

Sydney, AU
The most recent character addition to the program is of the dogs' beloved pet cat Dumpster, who stars in his own segment in the show, "Interviews with Dumpster". Added in 2005, this delightful show segment has been a surprising and now invaluable element of "Raggs", combining live guest interaction with comic relief that appeals to children and adults alike. According to Don Derheim, Senior Vice President of Marketing for [[KQED (TV)|KQED]] in San Francisco, "Dumpster is key to the credibility of the show, a major reason why KQED agreed to partner with Raggs LLC to launch the show in the US." "Adam Kronenberg's (aka Dumpster) wonderful connection with children and his unique ability to talk directly to the children as both a puppeteer and actor is one of the key reasons [[PBS]] is interested in the show."
|-

| '''Executive Producers''' || Noel Price<br />
With KQED as the national presenter, Raggs made its PBS debut on June 4, 2007<ref>[http://www.raggs.com/stations/pdf/4-2007%20Summer%20US%20Pre-Launch%20of%20Raggs.pdf] (.pdf)</ref>, however, it was initially distributed to ten test cities (not counting its nearby sister stations). This was PBS' first imported kids' show from Australia since the majority their imports come from either Canada or the United Kingdom. After a few months of showings in those cities, the show increased so much in popularity. While the show was airing its first episodes, the band made its eight week "Dance Party" tour at the same time- the fans poured in by the thousands. When [[American Public Television]] saw its success, it partnered with KQED in early February 2008 to syndicate the show to PBS markets around the country.<ref>[http://www.aptonline.org/catalog.nsf/GenreLookup/BDC049E4C8842FA685257544006F6279]</ref>
Cathy Payne<br />

Toni Steedman (Zelickson)
Two additional DVD titles were released, "Holiday Jam" and "Red, White & Raggs", both produced by Steedman and MediaWorks Inc. A fourth CD, titled "Unleashed", was also produced. Both DVDs also aired as US television specials in 2005 and 2006. "Holiday Jam" was a half-hour show shot in Telluride, Colorado, where the characters donned skis and took to the slopes. The production of Red, White & Raggs" evolved out of the bands' three appearances at both The White House Easter Egg Roll and The Cherry Blosson Festival. In the hour-long special, the characters help find the President's lost dog. The musical comedy adventure gives the characters an opportunity to tour the capital city, capturing scenes at popular Washington, DC monuments and historic sites. The show also included several scenes shot in the Oval Office set of ABC's, "Commander in Chief", a show which stars [[Geena Davis]].
|-

| '''Running time''' || 30 minutes
The first three DVDs and four CDs have been put in the Raggs Vault and have not been distributed since 2006. Future distribution of music and DVDs will be related to the television series.
|-

|<big>'''''BROADCAST'''''</big>
===International Markets===
|-
In other countries, Raggs has been picked up by leading stations in Canada, [[Singapore]], Ireland, [[Bulgaria]], and South Africa. Other countries are pending.
| '''Original Channel''' || Channel Seven, Australia

|-
===Palace Theatre 2004===
| '''Original Run''' || January 2, 2006 - present
Throughout 2004, the band starred in a 90-minute performance at [[The Palace Theatre]] in [[Myrtle Beach]], [[South Carolina]], alongside comic strip cat [[Garfield]]. The performances focused on the RAGGS Kids Club Band planning a birthday party for the famous orange cat. Suspecting things, Garfield "won't relax until he gets the surprise."
|-

| '''Status''' || Worldwide distribution
The 90-minute performance ran daily at 4:30 pm local time.
|-

|<big>'''''RIGHTS MGMT'''''</big> || Blue Socks Media LLC<br />
===RAGGS Kids Club Band: PAWSUUUP! Tour===
Charlotte, NC 28203
A DVD was released August 17, 2004, featuring in-concert performances of seven of the band's songs, and three "music videos". The 55-minute long program was produced by [[Linda Mendoza]] (''[[The Chris Rock Show]]'') of [[Line by Line Productions]], and executive produced by [[Carole Rosen]].
|}

{{News release|date=March 2010}}
The crew included screenwriter [[Mark Valenti]] (''[[Rugrats]]'', ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'', ''[[Totally Spies]]''), lighting designer [[Alan Adelman]] (75+ episodes of ''[[Great Performances]]'', ''[[Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards]]''), music producers Fred and Becky Story (Concentrix Music & Sound), costume designer "Greyseal", and choreographer [[Hardin Minor]] (National Dance Institute).
{{Notability|date=March 2010}}

The DVD earned 3.5 out of 4 stars from Suite 101 Family Entertainment film critic Nicholas Moreau, tied for the highest ever rating for an independently produced DVD. The music from the tour was later released as an album, on CD.

==Touring==
The Raggs Kids Club Band has toured extensively for over the past five years, logging thousands of miles on four continents and playing over 2,000 live performances. For instance, in the US, Raggs has performed at many state fairs, including New York, Oklahoma, Bangor, Ohio, and others. Raggs also has performed at basketball games, regional malls, national fundraisers such as the [[Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon]], and parades such as the Christmas parades in [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] and [[Oakland, California]]. Overseas, the Raggs' band also performed at U.S. bases such as Japan, South Korea, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and Iceland.

In Australia, the Raggs Kids Club Band has performed at Westfield Malls. In addition, Raggs was honored to be one of two children's acts to perform on "Carols in the Domain", a nationally televised live musical show that was also performed in front of nearly 100,000 people.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.raggs.com/ Official Website of the Raggs Kids Club Band in the U.S.]
* [http://www.raggs.com.au/ Official Website of the Raggs Kids Club Band in Australia]
* {{imdb title|0796584|Raggs}}


{{Southern Star Entertainment}}
{{PBSKids shows}}

[[Category:Seven Network shows]]
[[Category:Fictional dogs]]
[[Category:American children's musical groups]]
[[Category:Australian children's musical groups]]
[[Category:Australian children's television series]]

Revision as of 22:17, 13 January 2011

Raggs

THIS PAGE IS BEING UPDATED.


www.raggs.com

Format Children's television series
Created by Toni Steedman (Zelickson)
Theme music composers Rebecca Kent Story and Michael McGinnis

Concentrix Music and Sound Design

Country of Origin United States
Language(s) English (U.S.)

English (Australian)
Hebrew (Israel)

No. of Seasons 3
No. of Episodes 195
No. of Songs 200+
PRODUCTION
Location Australian Broadcast Company (ABC) Studio

Sydney, AU

Executive Producers Noel Price

Cathy Payne
Toni Steedman (Zelickson)

Running time 30 minutes
BROADCAST
Original Channel Channel Seven, Australia
Original Run January 2, 2006 - present
Status Worldwide distribution
RIGHTS MGMT Blue Socks Media LLC

Charlotte, NC 28203

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