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Budgie the Little Helicopter

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Budgie the Little Helicopter
Budgie the Little Helicopter Titles
GenreAnimated series
Created bySarah Ferguson
Developed byHTV
Sleepy Kids[1]
Written byBrian Trueman
Theme music composerDennis C. Brown
Opening themePaul K. Joyce
(Main Title Theme)
Ending themeInstrumental Theme
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageTransclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{lang-en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producersDan Maddicot
Martin Powell
Viven Schrager Powell
Fred Wolf
ProducersMichael Algar
Andy Luckey (uncredited)
Running time10 minutes
Production companiesSleepy Kids
Fred Wolf Films Dublin[2]
Original release
NetworkFox Kids[3]
ITV[4]
Release4 January 1994 (1994-01-04) –
25 March 1996 (1996-03-25)

Budgie the Little Helicopter is a series of children's books and animated television series relating to a fictional character 'Budgie' and his friends.[5] The characters were based on the books by Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, who was influenced by her flight training in the Royal Navy.[6] The show was produced by Fred Wolf Films Dublin for HTV and Sleepy Kids Company and originally aired on British television in 1994 on CITV, then, was aired later on in the United States of America on Fox Kids.[7] The TV Show ran for 39 episodes, and a range of videos, books, and toys were released under the 'Budgie' label. Budgie the Little Helicopter merchandise is now quite rare.

On release of the first book, Ferguson was forced to deny she'd copied the idea for the series from the earlier Hector the Helicopter book by A.W. Baldwin.[8]

The voice of Budgie was performed by Richard C. Pearce

Characters

Aircraft characters

  • Budgie the Blue Helicopter — Budgie is a small blue helicopter (that seems to resemble a Bell 206) with a big yellow cap covering his entire airframe. He lives and works at Harefield Airfield, and is best friends with Pippa. He can be cheeky and troublesome, but he works hard and continuously tries to please Lionel as well as avoiding the heli-wash whenever he can. A white teddy bear named Snowy can almost always be seen carried in a pocket on Budgie's starboard side (although in "Budgie Takes a Catch", this was changed to two lollipops instead).
  • Pippa the Green Plane — Pippa (inspired by a piper warrior aircraft) is a small green single-engined monoplane with a tuft of yellow hair and a big pink bow. She was the second aircraft to arrive to Harefield Airfield, and at first, teased Budgie and called him a yo-yo. After a race and several comparisons about who was the best, they both became firm friends. She enjoys helping out, and also loves using the heli-wash (as opposed to Budgie).
  • Chuck the Big American Helicopter (was stated in the second TV episode as being a Boeing CH-47 Chinook) - Chuck is a twin-rotored helicopter. He comes from America and of course doesn't understand the British language well. He sometimes gets cocky and likes to showoff, but this led him to trouble when he disrupted an air show and finished up in a pond. He also has a bad habit of calling Lionel "Captain".
  • Lionel - Lionel is the Brown senior helicopter in the series (Influenced by a Westland Lynx). He does not take kindly to Budgie, Pippa, or especially Chuck causing trouble and making themselves nuisances, but he keeps things in order with his patient but firm ways.
  • Patsy the American Stunt Plane (was stated by Lionel as being a Pitt's Special).
  • Wally the old Supermarine Walrus
  • Jean Claude the pompous Concorde .
  • Jasper Jeer-jet. Jasper was a joker to start off and kept on radioing Harefield Airfield pretending there was an emergency but when he really did need help in a storm it was Budgie decision to come to his rescue and since then Jasper has realised it's not a good idea to play the fool all the time
  • Henley the three winged propeller driven 1930's airliner
  • Olivia The Small Plane
  • Dougie The Police Helicopter (Only in Eye in The Sky)
  • Jade The Emerald Helicopter (Only in Eye in The Sky)
  • Unnamed Boeing 747 Jet Plane in the plane that cried wolf
  • The naughty piper plane , Pippa's "double" (Only in Double Trouble)
  • Aircraft Carrier Helicopter
  • Wally Jr The Supermarine Walrus (Only in Deep Sleep)
  • Gloria The Glider
  • Mini Planes (Only Appeared in Deep Sleep)
  • Three Other Gliders
  • Gus the guppy ( based on an Aero Spacelines Super Guppy) is a huge American transport aircraft.
  • Harvey the gray royal navy BAE Sea Harrier jet fighter. Harvey appeared in "All at Sea" and "Boats, Boots and Budgie" and his name was revealed in "blown up let down". He speaks with a traditional royal naval pilot voice .
  • Harvey's 2 BAE Sea Harrier Brothers.
  • Arthur the old airship
  • Buddy the Sikorsky Skycrane
  • Genevieve – a French female Jodel D11 aircraft ("The Air Show" and "Budgie Barges In")

Non-air characters

  • Dell the yellow Baggage cart Towing Truck
  • Smokey the airfield fire engine
  • Don the blue stairs lorry
  • Amelia the Ambulance
  • Ernest the tractor
  • Julie the posh purple vintage car
  • Nosey the driller
  • Backhoe the Backhoe Loader
  • Sonia The Limousine
  • Clark the Tow Truck
  • Jake the Steam Train
  • Fred the Canal Barge
  • Harry The Inflatable Boat (Only Appeared in Blown Up Let Down)
  • Gimbus The Cement Mixer (Only Appreard In Budgie Sticks To It)
  • Cubey the Stuck Up ROV Submarine (only appeared in the last episode)
  • Sharkey The Boat (Only Appeared in The Book Budgie Goes To The Sea)

Human characters

Animal characters

Episodes

Season 1 (1994)

  • Pippa Arrives

Pippa, the new arrival, comes to Harefield.

  • Chuck Comes Unstuck

Harefield fete soon comes to Harefield.

  • Budgie's Blizzard

Budgie has to rescue a pregnant women in a snowstorm.

  • Ice Work, Budgie

Pippa sends more fuel to Budgie.

  • Budgie Takes a Catch

Budgie is collecting lobsters, when he hears some yelling out in the ocean.

  • The Air Show

Budgie is leading the Harefield Fly-past and has to battle a couple of crooks.

  • All At Sea

Budgie is delivering space parts to a navy ship and has to spend the night on an aircraft carrier.

  • Boats, Boots and Budgie

The river overflows flooding the airport and Budgie has to save a trapped cow.

  • Copters and Robbers

Ben and Lucy get stolen by crooks and Budgie has to rescue them.

  • Daydreams and Candy Floss

Budgie rescues a couple that are stuck on a broken ferris wheel at the seaside.

  • Flying in Arctic Circles

All the Harefield planes are hired to lead an expedition to the Arctic Circle.

  • What's Bruin?

In the arctic circle, Pippa is trapped on an iceflow and Mike and Ken get chased by a polar bear.

  • Down on the Farm

Farmer Hayes falls in and is unable to do his daily chores, so the aircraft decide to join in.

Season 2 (1995)

  • Budgie Sticks To It

While a new airport is getting built, Busgie decides to stick to it.

  • Skids, Stunts and Soap

Pasty makes a visit to Harefield.

  • Aliens Have Landed

While Lionel is on a job, Budgie hears that aliens are invading them.

  • Who's A Clever Budgie?

Chuck brings in loads of nuts from Brazil.

  • Blown Up Let Down

Budgie gets trapped in the sea when he runs out of fuel.

  • Wally Waddles In

Wally comes to Harefield.

  • The Balloon Goes Up

A balloon festival is taking place near Harefield, but the balloon starts rising with the twins in it putting them in danger. Budgie tries to rescue them before the balloon gets away.

  • Surprise, Surprise

Heavy pipes fall on the heliwash, damaging it, while Mrs. Kitchen is baking a cake for Ken.

  • Deep Sleep

Wally recounts his time of saving a man from a shark.

  • Bad News, Good News

Harefield is about to be closed to be replaced by a factory. Budgie immediately gets into action to prevent it from happening.

  • Budgie Barges In

Budgie and the other aircraft travel across to France.

  • Dutch Courage

On the way back from France, the aircraft have to drop a delivery off in Holland, but Budgie experiences a problem when he accidentially mistakes a windmill for a helicopter.

  • Budgie's Opening Goal

The new Harefield is opened and Budgie aids as the Minister for Airports.

Season 3 (1996)

  • Boom Boom Budgie

Budgie tries to break the sound barrier.

  • Writers In The Sky

Chuck is towing a couple of kites through the air and he crashlands into a pond.

  • Double Trouble

Budgie and Chuck discover that Pippa got replaced by a Double.

  • Eye In The Sky

Budgie tasks as becoming a traffic helicopter for the day, but more trouble ensues in the process.

  • Chuck's Buddy

Buddy has to put Budgie in charge for a day, which leads to a disaster.

  • The Aqueduct

Budgie discovers that the water has disappeared.

  • Plane Silly

Budgie has to search for Ben and Lucy's lost model airplane.

  • The Plane That Cried Wolf

Jasper has been constantly lying, so no one believes that he is in trouble. Budgie then comes to his aid.

  • The Runaway Train

Jake is pulling the Royal Carriage and suddenly goes out of control on the track. Budgie goes out to stop him.

  • A Tail Of Woe

Lionel damages his main rotors, when he tries to avoid Ben and Lucy's rabbits. Budgie sets out to find a new replacement before the twins find the rabbits.

  • Put Up Or Stuck Up

The air museum has opened at Harefield and Budgie has to complete all his tasks on it.

  • Silent Flight

The aircraft set out to rescue some skiers stranded on a snowy mountain.

  • Ups And Downs

Chuck is punished by picking up all the rotten vegetables. Budgie is delivering pieces for a new bridge, but he soon spots two people trying to catch a dolphin.

Home video releases

In 1997, UAV Entertainment released some episodes of the series on VHS. The series has not yet seen a release to DVD.

film adaption

Blue Sky Studios will acquired the rights to turn "Budgie the Little Helicopter" into a live-action film, directed by Chris Wedge, released til Spring, 2014.

References

  1. ^ "Budgie boost for Kids". Independent. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  2. ^ "Fergie's Budgie Coming to the US". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  3. ^ "Fergie's 'Little Helicopter' to be shown on Fox TV". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  4. ^ "Shares in Sleepy Kids doze". Independent. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  5. ^ "AT TEA WITH: The Duchess of York; Mercy, Mischief and a Royal Fiction". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  6. ^ "Fergie's soaring". Canoe. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  7. ^ "Fox Plans 'Budgie' Cartoons in a Deal with Duchess of York". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  8. ^ Starting over at 40
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