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Make Way for Noddy

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Make Way for Noddy
File:Make-way-for-noddy.jpg
Created byEnid Blyton (Noddy character)
Mallory Lewis
Jymn Magon
Directed byByron Vaughns
Presented byNaomi Wilkinson
StarringDavid Kaye
Michael Dobson
Britt McKillip
Richard Newman
Ian James Corlett
Tabitha St. Germain
Theme music composerSteven Bernstein
Julie Bernstein
Country of originUnited Kingdom
United States
Production
Executive producersJonathan Dern
Paul Sabella
Brad Hood
ProducersRobert Winthrop
Byron Vaughns
Running time15 minutes (Five); 30 minutes (PBS Kids Sprout)
Production companiesChorion
SD Entertainment
Original release
NetworkPBS Kids (U.S.)
Release2 September 2002 –
2008

Make Way for Noddy is a British-American CGI-animated series for children. Based on Enid Blyton's Noddy character, it originally aired in 12-minute segments as part of the Milkshake programme on Britain's Five, from 2 September 2002 until 2008.

On 5 January 2004, an American version of the series, with "Noddy and The New Taxi" as its first episode, was launched in the United States on PBS in a half-hour version. This version, although it retained the name Make Way for Noddy, was a longer format; it combined two of the 12-minute segments with new material. Along with the story episodes featuring Noddy and his friends, the PBS format included two interstitials, a music video and footage of British television presenter Naomi Wilkinson from Milkshake! The Say it With Noddy interstitials featured Noddy learning various foreign-language words from a robot named Whizz (voiced by Matt Hill). Although most of the Noddy characters had been re-dubbed to remove their English accents, Naomi spoke with a strong English accent and used British English words and phrases in conversation. It features songs with music by Mark Sayer-Wade and lyrics by Judy Rothman.

Characters

  • Noddy (voiced by David A. Kaye and Alberto Ghisi) is the primary or the main protagonist, a wooden boy who lives in Toyland. Although he is characterized as a child, with a child's imagination and fears, in Toyland he also serves as the main taxi driver. He often finds himself in difficult situations due to his childlike impulsiveness and energy, but his Toy Town friends always help him set things right and saves Toy Town from the Goblins
  • Big Ears (voiced by Michael Dobson) is a wise old white-bearded brownie who wears a blue coat, green striped pants, a yellow and red plaid neckerchief, gnome shoes, and a long red hat and lives in a toadstool house in the forest called Toadstool Woods. He is a father-figure to Noddy and the other toys, often helping them out of trouble with his years of wisdom and good advice. His catchphrase to Noddy is "You funny little Noddy".
  • Tessie Bear (voiced by Britt McKillip) is Noddy's best friend, always ready to help everyone she sees. She wears a pink and white skirt and a pink bonnet with blue flowers on it. She lives in a pink house in Toy Town with Bumpy Dog, her faithful and rambunctious pet.
  • Bumpy Dog is Tessie Bear's dog, whose bumping and jumping cause trouble for all the toys. Even though some of the toys complain about his leaping, in several stories Bumpy's energy can save the day.
  • Sly and Gobbo (voiced by Doug Parker and Don Brown) are the primary or the main "villains" of Toyland, always hatching another evil plot, serving as the main antagonists of Toyland.
  • Mr. Plod (voiced by Richard Newman) is Toyland's sole police officer. Armed with his trusty whistle and his all-purpose problem-solving phrase "HALT! In the name of Plod!", he brings law and order to Toyland, keeps Sly and Gobbo out of the way, and makes the streets safe for all the toys. Although Mr Plod's no-nonsense ways keep Toyland safe, they sometimes make him seem cold or unfeeling, but the Toyland toys always bring out his compassionate side in the end.
  • Mr. Sparks (voiced by Lee Tockar) is Toyland's mechanic, fix-it man, and jack-of-all-trades. Faced with a clock without a spring, a rocket without an engine, or a problem without a solution, he brings out his tools and his famous catch phrase "A challenge?...I like it!". He speaks with a Scottish accent, and is always shown as an ingenious and helpful friend.
  • Miss Harriet the Pink Cat (aka Miss Pink Cat) (voiced by Carrie Mullan) owns Toy Town's ice cream shop. She is portrayed as very fussy and neat, with a French accent and no patience for foolishness, even her own.
  • Dinah Doll (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is a toy plastic doll, the Toy Town shopkeeper. Her stall, though small, contains everything a Toyland resident could ever possibly want. From toy trains and kite strings to Googleberry muffins, she greets every request with her favorite promise: "I have that, now I just have to find it!" She's portrayed as a down-to-earth "older sister" figure, kindly guiding the more impulsive toys into doing the right thing.
  • Master Tubby Bear (voiced by Manny Petruzzelli) is a stuffed teddy bear, is one of the more mischievous residents of Toyland. He wears a tie, a colorful cap, and blue jeans. He was impatient, greedy and thoughtless, until one of the older, wiser Toy Town toys shows him the error of his ways. He's good friends with Martha Monkey.
  • Martha Monkey (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is a monkey doll whose personality makes her a bit of an outcast in Toyland. She seems to want to be everyone's friend, but her boisterous behaviour and prankster ways often get in the way. Like Master Tubby Bear, her best friend, she'll quickly see the light when her bad behaviour is corrected by a caring friend.
  • Mr. Jumbo (voiced by Ian James Corlett) is a friendly stuffed elephant. He uses his size to help smaller toys, like his best friend Clockwork Mouse.
  • Clockwork Mouse (voiced by Matt Hill) is a wind-up toy mouse, Mr. Jumbo's best friend.
  • Mr. Wobblyman (voiced by Ian James Corlett): A roly-poly toy that wobbles and tips wherever he goes because he has a ball for his body. He's very self-conscious about his clumsiness, especially when his wobbling attracts teasing.
  • The Skittles (voiced by Chantal Strand) are a family of bowling-pin-like toys who love nothing more than to be knocked over - whether by each other, a Bouncing Ball, or Bumpy Dog. Mrs. Skittle can often be seen in Toy Town, trying to keep them all in sight.
  • Harvey and Cecilia are two beetles who are often overlooked because of their small size and can normally be seen trying to cross the road. They can talk on most episodes, but not on other ones. They belong to less-nosser beetles.
  • Tiny Ball is one of a large family of Bouncing Balls whose energetic bounces really make a big impression whenever they come to Toy Town. Tiny, though the smallest of all the Ball family, is also known to all the toys as the best bouncer in Toyland.
  • Noddy's car is the Toy Town taxi. It listens to Noddy, and answers with a "parp! parp!" Though Car, as Noddy calls him, generally needs a driver, at times he can move on his own, especially when Noddy needs help.

Television airing

Country / Region Channel
 United Kingdom Five (English)
S4C (Welsh) (Former)
 United States PBS Kids (Former)
PBS Kids Sprout
 Philippines Playhouse Disney Asia
Q 11
GMA Network (Former) (First airing : April 2002)
 Brazil Discovery Kids (Brazil)
 India Cartoon Network
Pogo
 Portugal RTP1
RTP2
Canal Panda
 France France 5
Tiji
 Netherlands Disney Channel (Netherlands)
Nick Jr. (Netherlands)
Nickelodeon (Netherlands)
 Spain Playhouse Disney
 Poland TVP1
MiniMini
 Germany Nickelodeon (Germany)
Nick Jr. (Germany)
 Italy Disney Junior (Italy)
 Australia Nick Jr. (Australia)
Nine Network
 Ireland RTE Two
 Malaysia Astro Ria
TV3
ntv7
 Serbia Happy TV
 Taiwan PTS
 South Korea KBS
 Vietnam VTV1

Notable episodes

  • Noddy and the New Taxi - Noddy's car acts in a strange way as the Goblins put a silly spell on it.
  • Noddy Builds a Rocket Ship - Noddy and Master Tubby Bear build a rocketship.
  • Catch a Falling Star - A star named Twinkly falls from the sky.
  • Hold On to Your Hat, Noddy! - Noddy and Tessie Bear take to the air on a very windy day.
  • Master Tubby's Opposite Day - Master Tubby Bear says everything he says the opposite.
  • The Goblin's Stopwatch - The Goblins use a stopwatch to make people freeze in their tracks.
  • The Magic Powder - The Goblins make a special powder making the toys dance in a strange way.
  • A Bike for Big Ears - Big Ears has a new bike with a box on the back making it go faster.
  • The Out-of-Control Tower - The Toy Town tower goes up to the air after Mr. Sparks breaks the controller.
  • Clockwork Mouse's Wish - Clockwork Mouse uses Mr. Jumbo's spell to make her bigger.
  • Noddy's House Of Cards - Noddy makes a house of cards but come apart after a slight trip.
  • Too Many Noddies - Noddy clones himself using Big Ear's doubling spell.
  • Noddy and The Towering Flower - Noddy and Master Tubby Bear enter a flower competition but are disqualified.
  • Noddy's Perfect Gift - Noddy makes a perfect gift for friend Tessie Bear.
  • Noddy and The Magic Bagpipes - Noddy borrows Big Ears' bagpipes, but they go out of control.
  • Noddy's Island Adventure - Noddy goes on an island adventure.
  • Dinah's Day Out - Dinah Doll and Tessie Bear go to the darkwoods to find unusual things.
  • No Nap for Noddy - Noddy drives around Toytown at night, but gets very tired.
  • Noddy and the Treasure Map - Noddy goes on a treasure adventure.
  • Shelf Help - Noddy builds a shelf.
  • The Big Fib - Noddy lies about the missing googleberries.
  • The Flower Thief - Noddy discovers that Bumpy Dog "stole" the flowers.
  • Miss Pink Cat's Country Adventure - Miss Pink Cat's shop runs out of milk.
  • The Big Sneeze - The Goblins accidentally put a spell on Mr. Jumbo that makes him sneeze uncontrollably.

See also