WordGirl: Difference between revisions
Alien arceus (talk | contribs) @ IP friend, we don't need to cling to the status quo. besides, The Rise of Miss Power which consisted of two episodes aired in February 2012, so it started on february 20th, 2012, not TBA. |
|||
Line 422: | Line 422: | ||
|} |
|} |
||
===Season 6 (TBA)=== |
===Season 6 (February 2012-TBA)=== |
||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:100%; background:#FFFFEA" |
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:100%; background:#FFFFEA" |
||
|- bgcolor="White" |
|- bgcolor="White" |
Revision as of 02:01, 7 February 2013
WordGirl | |
---|---|
File:WordGirl title card.jpg | |
Genre | Children's television series |
Created by | Dorothea Gillim |
Developed by | Dorothea Gillim Jack D. Ferraiolo |
Directed by | David SanAngelo |
Voices of | Dannah Phirman Tom Kenny Maria Bamford Cree Summer Ryan Raddatz Patton Oswalt Fred Stoller Larry Murphy Jack D.Ferraiolo James Adomian Grey DeLisle Jeffrey Tambor John C. McGinley |
Narrated by | Chris Parnell Rodger Parsons (Interstitials) |
Theme music composer | Steven D'Angelo Terry Tompkins |
Opening theme | Word Up It's WordGirl |
Ending theme | Word Up It's WordGirl (Instrumental) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 104 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Dorothea Gillim (Season 1); Deborah Forte (as of Season 2) |
Producers | Will Shepard (Season 1); Danielle Gillis (as of Season 2) |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company | Soup2Nuts |
Original release | |
Network | PBS (PBS Kids Go!) |
Release | September 3, 2007 present | –
Release | list_episodes |
Release | list_episodes |
Release | list_episodes |
Release | list_episodes |
Release | list_episodes |
Release | list_episodes |
Release | list_episodes |
WordGirl is an Emmy-award winning American children’s animated television series for children aged 6–12, produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. The show began as a series of shorts that premiered on PBS Kids Go! on November 10, 2006, usually shown at the end of Maya & Miguel; the segment was then spun off into a new thirty-minute episodic series that premiered on September 3, 2007 on most Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member stations. This animated show is aimed at children six to twelve years old, but viewers older than this demographic have been reported as well. It is designed to teach about the expansive English language and its vocabulary. The all four seasons each have twenty-six episodes; on June 10, 2009 it was announced that a third season of twenty-six episodes had been ordered, and it began airing on many PBS stations August 23, 2010.[1] The show is also seen on some educational networks in Canada, including Knowledge in British Columbia and TVOntario, as well as Discovery Kids Latin America, which dropped the series in June 2012. The program is also syndicated internationally in places such as Australia and Italy. The Spanish version is called "Chica Supersabia" (Super-wise girl) and it is translated and dubbed in Caracas, Venezuela, and the Brazilian version is called "Garota Supersábia". There is a Catalan version called "La Súper Mots" and a Portuguese version called "Super Sabina". The show has received five Daytime Emmy nominations, winning twice for "Outstanding Writing in Animation" in 2008 and 2012.
Background
The show's creator, Dorothea Gillim, believes that children's shows often underestimate children's intelligence:
Part of my mission is to make kids' television smart and funny. I feel as though we’ve lost some ground there, in an effort to make it more accessible. WordGirl's focus is on great stories, characters, and animation. If all those elements are working, then you can hook a child who may come looking for laughs but leave a little smarter.[2][3]
Each eleven-minute segment in each episode (except for the first three episodes) begins with verbal instructions to listen for two words that will be used throughout the plot of that episode. The words (examples include “diversion,” “cumbersome,” and “idolize”) are chosen according to academic guidelines. The reasoning is that children can understand words like “cumbersome” when told that it means “big and heavy and awkward.”[2]
News anchor Jim Lehrer agreed to do a mock interview with WordGirl. Jack D. Ferraiolo, who developed the series with Gillim and served as the series' head writer in Season One, received an Emmy for his work on WordGirl.[4]
Synopsis
The series stars WordGirl, an alien with superpowers whose secret identity is Becky Botsford, a 10½ year old fifth grade student. WordGirl was born on the fictional planet Lexicon (also a term referring to the vocabulary of a language or to a dictionary) but was sent away after sneaking onto a spaceship and sleeping there. Captain Huggy Face, a monkey who was a pilot in the Lexicon Air Force, piloted the ship, but lost control when WordGirl awoke, and crash-landed on Earth (more specifically in Fair City), a planet that affords WordGirl her superpowers, including flight and super strength. WordGirl utilizes these powers to save her adoptive home, using her downed spacecraft as a secret base of operations. WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face fight crime together.
WordGirl was adopted and provided an alter ego by Tim and Sally Botsford, who gave her the name Becky. While in her alter ego, she has a younger brother, TJ, obsessed with WordGirl, but still unknowingly a typical sibling rival to Becky. The Botsford family keeps Captain Huggy Face as a pet, naming him Bob. Becky attends Woodview Elementary School, where she is close friends with Violet Heaslip and has a crush on school newspaper reporter Todd “Scoops” Ming.
WordGirl tries to balance her superhero activities with her "normal" life. Doing battle with a rather odd grouping of villains, such as the Butcher, who can call into existence most any type of meat; senior citizen Granny May, with her knitting needles and projectile yarn; her former friend Professor Steven Boxleitner, who became the evil Dr. Two Brains thanks to an albino mouse fusing his brain with the animal; ten-year-old genius and colossal robot builder Tobey McCalister; and The Whammer, who speaks by interjecting the word "wham" in the most inopportune sentences. At the same time, she must worry about maintaining her second life as Becky, keeping people from discovering the truth and living normal family situations.
Format
Often, short animated segments are shown in between and at the end of episodes. "What's Your Favorite Word?", ostensibly hosted by Todd "Scoops" Ming, is a series of vox populi interviews asking random children what their favorite words are and why. A short game show segment called "May I Have a Word?" airs following each eleven-minute segment. This segment features the game show host, Beau Handsome, asking three contestants the definition of a particular word. The segment was created by Kelly Miyahara, Barry Sonnenfeld, and Ryan Raddatz. Yet another segment features the interstitials announcer (Rodger Parsons) asking Captain Huggy Face for a visual demonstration of a certain word (such as "pensive" or "flummoxed"). When Captain Huggy Face correctly demonstrates the meaning of the word, a definition is given, followed by a victory dance by the chimp sidekick.
During the four-part episode, "The Rise of Miss Power", a five-segment "Pretty Princess Power Hour" sketch is shown between acts, filling in for the average two-segment "May I Have a Word?" sketch, presumably to fill the double-length (52 minutes) time slot.
Companion website
The companion site to WordGirl lives on PBS Kids, and was built by interactive firm Big Bad Tomato. It contains vocabulary-building games, a section where children can submit their favorite word, a video page with clips from the show, a "Heroes and Villains" section with character biographies and activities, and a PBS Parents section with episode guides, lessons, a site map, and more activities to play at home.
Characters and voice cast (2007 – present)
Cast | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dannah Phirman | Becky Botsford/WordGirl, Clair McCalister, Edith von Hoosinghaus, Chuck's mom, Iris, Lily, Wordgirl Doll, Audience Member #1, Pretty Princess | |||||||
Chris Parnell | The Narrator, Exposition Guy, Police Officer, Cab Driver, Audience Member 1, Parent Gallery Member #1 additional voices | |||||||
Tom Kenny | Dr. Two-Brains, TJ Botsford, Two-Brains' Henchman #1, Warden Chalmers, Brent the Handsome Successful Everybody-Loves-Him Sandwich-Making Guy, Phil, Truck Driver, News Reporter, Shoe Salesman, additional voices | |||||||
Cree Summer | Granny May, Bingo Announcer, additional voices | |||||||
Patton Oswalt | Theodore "Tobey" McCalister III, robots, additional voices | |||||||
Fred Stoller | Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy | |||||||
Jack D. Ferraiolo | The Butcher, The General | |||||||
Pamela Adlon | Eileen, a.k.a. The Birthday Girl, additional voices | |||||||
Maria Bamford | Violet Heaslip, Sally Botsford, Leslie the Assistant, Bank Teller (second voice), additional voices | |||||||
Ryan Raddatz | Tim Botsford, Todd "Scoops" Ming, Beau Handsome, additional voices | |||||||
Tim Conway | Bampy Botsford | |||||||
Mike O’Connell | Bill the Grocery Store Manager, Big Left Hand Guy, additional voices | |||||||
Elliott Gould | The Masked Meat Marauder | |||||||
Brian Posehn | Glen Furlblam | |||||||
James Adomian | Captain Huggy Face/Bob (script readings), Robber, The Candlestick Maker, Security Guard, Curator, Raul Demiglasse, Hunter Throbheart, Robber #1 | |||||||
H. Jon Benjamin | Reginald, InvisiBill, Jewelry Store Clerk (first voice), additional voices | |||||||
Ron Lynch | The Mayor, additional voices | |||||||
Jeffrey Tambor | Mr. Big, Old Woman, Old Man | |||||||
Brian Doyle Murray | Police Commissioner | |||||||
Larry Murphy | The Amazing Rope Guy, TV Reporter, Dave, Principal, Mr. Best, Used Car Salesman (second voice), Mailman, additional voices | |||||||
John C. McGinley | The Whammer | |||||||
Amanda Plummer | Beatrice Bixby / Lady Redundant Woman (first voice) | |||||||
Grey DeLisle | Beatrice Bixby/Lady Redundant Woman (second voice), Ms. Question, Mrs. Ripley, Host, additional voices | |||||||
Rose Abdoo | Great Granny May | |||||||
Darran Norris | Seymour Orlando Smooth, Nocan the Contrarian | |||||||
Mike Phirman | The Narrator's Brother | |||||||
Peter Graves | Mr. Callihan | |||||||
James Mathis | Tiny Big | |||||||
Ed Asner | Kid Potato, The Butcher's father | |||||||
Jen Cohn | Bank Teller (first voice), Rich Old Lady, Ms. Champlain | |||||||
Stephanie Sheh | additional voices | |||||||
Robin Reed | Ms. Libri, the bookstore owner | |||||||
Judy Greer | Ms Dewey, the librarian | |||||||
Andy Dick | Milt (Ms. Dewey's assistant) | |||||||
Jim Gaffigan | Mr. Dudley | |||||||
Matt Besser | Zachry Zany, Male News Anchorman, Lead Deriver, additional voices | |||||||
Rodger Parsons | Interstitials Announcer (uncredited) | |||||||
Danielle Schneider | Female News Anchorwoman, Crowd Member, News Caster, additional voices | |||||||
William Mapother | Guy Rich | |||||||
Kristen Schaal | Victoria Best, mrs. best, aditional voices | |||||||
John Henson | Captain Tangent | |||||||
Amy Sedaris | Ms. Davis, additional voices | |||||||
Orlando Brown | Tommy "His Dishonor" | |||||||
Kelly Miyahara | Emily | |||||||
Kevin McDonald | Vocab Bee, Jeremy, Police Chief, Judge, The Baker, Magic Pony | |||||||
Wayne Knight | Police Commissioner Watson (first voice) | |||||||
Frank Welker | Prof. Robert Tubing, The Energy Monster (uncredited), various animals | |||||||
Jill Talley | Babysitter | |||||||
Elisabeth Abbot | Dress Shop Owner | |||||||
Chris Williams | Judge | |||||||
Sergio Cilli | Royal Dandy, Lolipop Man | |||||||
Jane Lynch | Miss Power | |||||||
Weird Al Yankovic | The Learnerer | |||||||
Jessica Cornish | Louise Kramer |
Episodes
Season 1 (September 3, 2007 – January 2, 2009)
Ep. | Airdate | Segment 1 | Segment 2 |
---|---|---|---|
1/101 | 9/3/2007 | Tobey or Consequences | High-Fat Robbery |
2/102 | 9/14/2007 | You Can’t Crush City Hall | Two-Brain Highway |
3/103 | 9/21/2007 | Coupon Madness | When Life Gives You Potatoes... |
4/104 | 9/28/2007 | Jerky Jerk | Becky's Birthday |
5/105 | 10/5/2007 | Chuck! | Down with Word Up! |
6/106 | 10/19/2007 | Book Ends | Mr. Big |
7/107 | 11/16/2007 | Super-Grounded | Mouse Army |
8/108 | 12/21/2007 | Tobey's Masterpiece | Chuck the Nice Pencil-Selling Guy |
9/109 | 12/28/2007 | The Birthday Girl | Granny-Sitter |
10/110 | 2/22/2008 | Mr. Big’s Big Plan | Vocab Bee |
11/111 | 2/15/2008 | Shrinkin' in the Ray | Department Store Tobey |
12/112 | 4/11/2008 | Chuck E. Sneeze | Swap Meat |
13/113 | 4/18/2008 | Granny’s Goodtime All-Cure Spritzer | Mecha-Mouse |
14/114 | 4/25/2008 | Princess Triana and The Ogre of Castlebum | Heat Wave, Crime Wave |
15/115 | 5/26/2008 | Thorn in the Sidekick | Crime Takes a Holiday |
16/116 | 5/27/2008 | Meat with a Side of Cute | Mr. Big Words |
17/117 | 6/13/2008 | Two-Brains Forgets | Banned on the Run |
18/118 | 7/11/2008 | Have You Seen the Remote? | Sidekicked to the Curb |
19/119 | 8/1/2008 | Lady Redundant Woman | A Game of Cat and Mouse |
20/120 | 8/15/2008 | The Masked Meat Marauder | Sandwich World |
21/121 | 9/12/2008 | Violet Superhero | Big Business |
22/122 | 10/13/2008 | The Handsome Panther | The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker |
23/123 | 11/3/2008 | Mousezilla | Villain School |
24/124 | 11/28/2008* | Return of the Reprise of Lady Redundant Woman | A Simple Plan |
25/125 | 1/1/2009* | Granny Mayor | Tobey Goes Good |
26/126 | 1/2/2009* | Bongo Rock | Dr. Three Brains |
* - These episodes are listed as Season One episodes although they premiered in Season Two
Season 2 (November 4, 2008 – July 20, 2010)
Ep. | Airdate | Segment 1 | Segment 2 |
---|---|---|---|
27/201 | 11/4/2008 | A Vote for Becky | Class Act |
28/202 | 2/16/2009 | The Two-Brains Boogie | Field Day Fun with Robo-Tobey |
29/203 | 2/17/2009 | Slumber Party Pooper | Line Lessons with Lady Redundant Woman |
30/204 | 3/23/2009 | Mr. Big's Dolls and Dollars | Great Granny May |
31/205 | 3/24/2009 | Theme Park WHAMpage | Chuck Makes a Buck |
32/206 | 4/30/2009 | Highway to Harvati | Tiny Big |
33/207 | 5/1/2009 | I Think I'm a Clone Now | Answer All My Questions and Win Stuff |
34/208 | 5/4/2009 | Bonkers for Bingo | The Ballad of Steve McClean |
35/209 | 10/23/2009 | Tobey's Tricks and Treats | Escape Wham |
36/210 | 6/19/2009 | Pretty Princess Premiere | Where's Huggy? |
37/211 | 7/13/2009 | Robo-Camping | The Stew, the Proud |
38/212 | 7/14/2009 | Who Wants Candy? | Chuck's Brother |
39/213 | 9/7/2009 | Becky and the Bard | Monkey-Robot Showdown |
40/214 | 10/12/2009 | The Wrong Side of the Law (2-part episode) | |
41/215 | 10/13/2009 | Two-Brains' Quartet | Big's Big Bounce |
42/216 | 10/14/2009 | The Young and the Meatless | Mr. Big's Colossal Mini-Golf |
43/217 | 10/15/2009 | Nocan the Contrarian | Meat My Dad |
44/218 | 11/23/2009 | Who is Ms. Question? | Lunch Lady Chuck |
45/219 | 12/10/2009 | Oh, Holiday Cheese | Ch-ch-ch-change Day |
46/220 | 12/28/2009 | WordGirl Makes a Mistake (2-part episode) | |
47/221 | 3/1/2010 | Earth Day Girl | A Hero, a Thief, a Store and Its Owner |
48/222 | 2/15/2010 | Opposite Day | Granny's Book Club |
49/223 | 5/3/2010 | Wham Up! | Seeds of Doubt |
50/224 | 5/4/2010 | Wishful Thinking | Lady Redundant Woman Gets the Blues |
51/225 | 7/19/2010 | Win a Shiny New Car | The People vs. Ms. Question |
52/226 | 7/20/2010 | Oh, What a Tangled Knot You Tie, Amazing Rope Guy | Kids Action News |
Season 3 (August 23, 2010 – August 3, 2011)
Ep. | Airdate | Segment 1 | Segment 2 |
---|---|---|---|
53/301 | 8/23/2010 | Bummertime | The Home Run King |
54/302 | 9/13/2010 | Granny and Clyde | Too Loud Crew |
55/303 | 9/14/2010 | The Invisi-Bill Hand | Birthday Town |
56/304 | 9/15/2010 | Pretty Princess and Mr. Big Power Hour | Cleanup in Aisle Eleven |
57/305 | 9/16/2010 | When Chuck's Mom is Away... | That's Entertainment |
58/306 | 10/11/2010 | Victoria Best | Showdown at the Super Secret Spaceship Hideout |
59/307 | 11/08/2010 | Captain Tangent | Chuck and Brent Ride Again |
60/308 | 1/03/2011 | Bend It Like Becky | Questionable Behavior |
61/309 | 4/01/2011 | The Straw That Broke Two Brains' Back | Nocan the Evil Ingredient Finding Guy |
62/310 | 2/08/2011 | Cherish Is the Word | Granny's Intuition |
63/311 | 1/17/2011 | Bampy Battles Bots | Truth, Revision, and the Lexicon Way |
64/312 | 5/06/2011 | Meat-Life Crisis | Mobot Knows Best |
65/313 | 8/03/11 | A Better Mousetrap (2-part episode) |
Season 4 (September 5, 2011 – June 11, 2012)
Ep. | Airdate | Segment 1 | Segment 2 |
---|---|---|---|
66/401 | 9/05/2011 | Sonny Days with a Chance of Showers | Seymour ... Right After This |
67/402 | 10/10/2011 | The Fill-In | Word (Hicc)Up! |
68/403 | 10/11/2011 | Mouse Brain Take-Over | Leslie Makes It Big |
69/404 | 10/12/2011 | Chuck with a Sidekick of Brent | Yarn-4-Gold |
70/405 | 10/13/2011 | Whammer Anniversary | Rat Trap |
71/406 | 10/14/2011 | WordGirl and Bobbleboy | Crime in the Key of V |
72/407 | 11/14/2011 | Where Have All the Villains Gone? | Captain Tangent Returns |
73/408 | 1/16/2012 | Have Snob, Will Travel | Tobey's Playground Calamity |
74/409 | 4/16/2012 | The Birthday Girl's Monstrous Gift | Hal the Haggler |
75/410 | 3/23/2012 | The Learnerer | Mr. Big's Dinner and a Scam |
76/411 | 5/21/2012 | Wordbot | Mount Rushhere |
77/412 | 6/11/2012 | Road Rage, Anger, and Fury | By Jove, You've Wrecked My Robots |
78/326 | 12/16/2011 | A World Without Wordgirl (2-part episode) |
Season 5 (September 10, 2012 – present)
Ep. | Airdate | Segment 1 | Segment 2 |
---|---|---|---|
79/501 | 9/10/2012 | Seize the Cheese | Ms. Question's Riddle Rampage |
80/502 | 9/11/2012 | The Meaty Dimension | The Case of the Copied Mrs. Botsford |
81/503 | 9/12/2012 | The Good, the Bad, and the Chucky | Granny's Pet Plan |
82/504 | 9/13/2012 | Hard-Learned Money | Gift Pony |
83/505 | 10/29/2012 | Scary with a Side of Butter | Talent Show Tobey |
84/506 | 12/28/2012 | Don't Mess with the Best | Peanut Butter Battles |
85/507 | TBA | Plain Old Mischief Makers | House Arrest |
86/508 | TBA | Father's Day Dance-a-thon | Big is Botsford's Boss |
87/509 | TBA | Monkey Business | Say it Again, Eileen |
88/510 | 12/31/2012 | Hello New Year, Goodbye Moon | Art in the Park |
89/511 | TBA | Day at the Museum | Best Fan Club Meeting Ever |
90/512 | TBA | Who's Your Granny? | Win a Day with WordGirl |
91/513 | TBA | Dinner or Consequences (Two-part episode) |
Season 6 (February 2012-TBA)
Ep. | Airdate | Segment 1 | Segment 2 |
---|---|---|---|
92/601 | 2/20/2012 | The Rise of Miss Power Part 1 and 2 | |
93/602 | 2/20/2012 | The Rise of Miss Power Part 3 and 4 | |
94/603 | TBA | Who Wants to Get Rid of WordGirl? | The Talented Mr. Birg |
95/604 | TBA | One Last Sandwich | Caper or Plastic? |
96/605 | TBA | Victoria is the Best WordGirl? | Tell Her What She's Won! |
97/606 | TBA | High-Five Sandwich | The Robot Problem |
98/607 | TBA | Of Two Minds | Yes Monkey |
99/608 | TBA | Big and Brent | Silence of the Whams |
100/609 | TBA | Dr. Two Brains, Mr. Cheese | Kitty Cat Criminals |
101/610 | TBA | A Questionable Pair | All That Chazz |
102/611 | TBA | Fortune Cookie | Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime |
103/612 | TBA | Go Gadget Go | Emergency Plan #999 |
104/613 | TBA | Invasion of the Bunny Lovers (Two-part episode) |
References
- ^ [http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/09/05/cluster_of_animation_studios_grows_up_around_watertown/?page=2>
- ^ a b Jensen, Elizabeth (2007-09-02). "A New Heroine's Fighting Words". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - ^ Bynum, Aaron H. (2007-06-18). "'The Adventures of WordGirl' Animation Emerges on PBS Kids". Animation Insider. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - ^ Spero, Johannah (2008-06-18). "Local man lands Emmy for 'WordGirl'". Wicked Local Newburyport/The Newburyport Current. GateHouse Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help)