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Breadwinners (TV series)

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"Breadwinners" redirects here. For other uses, see Breadwinner (disambiguation).
Breadwinners
Genre
  • Comedy
  • Animation
Created by
  • Steve Borst
  • Gary DiRaffaele
Voices of
ComposerTommy Sica
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes29 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Gary DiRaffaele
  • Steve Borst
ProducerLizabeth Velasco
Running time22 minutes
Production companyNickelodeon Animation Studio
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
ReleaseFebruary 17, 2014 (2014-02-17) –
present

Breadwinners is an American animated television series created by Gary "Doodles" DiRaffaele and Steve Borst for Nickelodeon.

The series was originally conceived as an animated short from DiRaffaele's efficiency apartment in Studio City, Los Angeles along with Borst. The two had previously met in Burbank while working on an animated series, Mad, in 2012. Originally a one-off, Breadwinners premiered at a short film festival held at a bar in New York, and later was linked to the network, where they were contacted and the show was developed into a full-fledged series. It premiered as a special preview on February 17, 2014.

Plot

Two anthropomorphic, flightless ducks named SwaySway (Robbie Daymond) and Buhdeuce (Eric Bauza), who are best friends, fly around the water-based planet Pondgea in a rocket-powered van delivering bread to the citizens. SwaySway, tall, thin and green, is the leader of the duo, and although he does not always use the best judgment, he is quite skilled at flying the van. Buhdeuce, short and round, is klutzier, but is also an enthusiastic and a loyal assistant to SwaySway. Oftentimes when they get in over their heads, they will "level up," or transform (in a similar vein to video game characters) into a variety of forms they need to solve their problems.

Characters

Main characters

Buhdeuce (left) and SwaySway (right) in the rocket van.
  • SwaySway (voiced by Robbie Daymond) – A tall, thin duck who comes from a line of bread delivery ducks. SwaySway pilots the rocket van with his best friend (or "bap"), Buhdeuce. He is in love with a nonspeaking duck named Jenny Quackles. His signature move is "party punch," where his fist enlarges prior to launching off his arm and punching.
  • Buhdeuce (voiced by Eric Bauza) – A short, round duck who is SwaySway's best friend and navigator in bread delivery. Buhdeuce is depicted as scatterbrained and inattentive. His signature moves are his "booty kick," where he kicks with his rear end, and "six-pack punch," where a fist comes out of his chest and punches. Buhdeuce's catchphrases are "Yep! Yep!" and "Aw, bubble nuggets!"

Recurring characters

  • Jelly (voiced by Alexander Polinsky) – The Breadwinners' female pet frog who fetches, pants and drools like a dog. She can only say "Ribbit!" and lived with Buhdeuce before he met SwaySway and became a Breadwinner. Jelly enjoys eating insects like any other frog.
  • The Bread Maker (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) – A legendary figure who lives in the bread mines and can be summoned via rubbing a magical toaster. He is T-Midi's idol and claims to be made entirely of different bread types. SwaySway and Buhdeuce visit him whenever they are in need of advice or assistance.
  • T-Midi (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) – An owl who is the Breadwinners' best customer. He speaks with a British accent and wears a tuxedo. The Breadwinners frequently get on his nerves despite being loyal to each other. He is a huge fan of the Bread Maker. T-Midi spends much of his time taking care of his mother, whom is a living portrait he calls "Mumsie".
  • Officer Rambamboo (voiced by Audrey Wasilewski) – An orange toad and the chief of the Tadpolice. She teaches driving classes, and has been depicted as strict and impatient. She finds SwaySway and Buhduece to be annoying most of the time, as they rarely follow the rules of the road when driving the rocket van.
  • Ketta (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) – An energetic swan and master mechanic who runs her own "auto tune-up" business. The Breadwinners go to her when they need upgrades or repairs to the rocket van. Her catchphrase is "Aw, lugnuts!"
  • Mrs. Furfle (voiced by Cree Summer) – An elderly firefly who occasionally orders the Breadwinners' bread. She is T-Midi's love interest and cannot pronounce SwaySway and Buhdeuce's name correctly.
  • Mr. Pumpers (voiced by Michael-Leon Wooley) - A stork and the money-hungry manager of the flying diner "Pumpers" which SwaySway and Buhdeuce frequently visit.
  • Mr. Flutterby (voiced by Thom Adcox) - A middle-aged butterfly and another recurring customer to the Breadwinners.
  • Oonski the Great (voiced by Nolan North) – A beaver viking who has been depicted as an enemy to the public. His motto is "Eat, beat, steal!" and will do anything to steal anything. He speaks in the third person.
  • Zoona and Roni (voiced by Tara Strong and Candi Milo, respectively) - The Pizzawinners, who act as the Breadwinners' rivals and deliver pizza in a monster truck.
  • Jenny Quackles – A duck that SwaySway has a crush on. He often tries to impress her, yet Jenny does not notice him.
  • Lava Mole (voiced by John DiMaggio) - An oversized mole who resides in the bread mines. He constantly insults the Bread Maker and is always punished for doing so.
  • Hotshot - A reckless biker who occasionally causes trouble for SwaySway and Buhdeuce.
  • Police Toads – Rambamboo's unnamed assistants who appear occasionally in the backgrounds of episodes.
  • Monsters - The destructive inhabitants of Pondgea's waters that eat almost everything.

Production

Breadwinners was created by Gary "Doodles" DiRaffaele and Steve Borst. It was conceived as a four-and-a-half minute animated short from DiRaffaele's efficiency apartment in Studio City, Los Angeles (dubbed the "Doodle Chamber").[1]: 1  The two had previously met in Burbank while working on an animated series, Mad, in 2012.[1]: 2  The protagonists, originally unnamed, were drawn by DiRaffaele as part of a collaboration with Borst. Both were drawn tossing a piece of bread up in the air; DiRaffaele explained that the premise came as an extension of his appetite for bread, a staple of meals from his Italian-American upbringing,[1]: 2  with friends sometimes calling him a "duck". The latter responded positively to the drawing, saying that he could produce something from it.[2]

The short was written by Borst and produced by DiRaffaele in Adobe Flash over the course of two months.[3] Daymond, who provides the voice of SwaySway, was found on a casting call website and invited into the apartment of DiRaffaele to audition.[1]: 2  Originally a one-off, Breadwinners premiered at the Midsummer Night Toons short film festival in New York,[a] where they wanted to entertain their colleagues.[1]: 1  The short was uploaded to YouTube to positive reception, and after obtaining 10,000 to 15,000 views on its first week, Borst explained, "it just took on a life of its own."[2] The creators linked it to Nickelodeon after users expressed wanting more.[2] Upon receiving an inquiry from a Nickelodeon executive, DiRaffaele was doubtful of the offer, joking that "I thought it was spam".[1]: 1  After several months, the creators were hired to expand the short into a full-fledged series.[1]: 1 

Actions in the series play out metronomically—that is, episodes are built around an underlying soundtrack, scored by Tommy Sica (who used to play in a band with DiRaffaele) and recorded before the animation phase. This process entails events in the show unfolding at a faster rate than most animated series like it. Test audiences composed of children were shown to "bounce" accordingly to the beat.[1]: 2  Animation is completed at a Titmouse, Inc. studio in Vancouver;[3] like the short, it is also produced in Adobe Flash.[4][b] A cartoony look was explicitly chosen as the art style, DiRaffaele noted, which gave way for elements such as dark, heavy outlines around the characters. In addition, retro-style video games were the inspiration for the art direction, with a pixel texture applied to backgrounds and the character's shadows.[3]

Broadcast and reception

The series premiered on February 17, 2014 as a "sneak beak" on Nickelodeon, followed by a regular broadcast on February 22, 2014.[6] It had been ordered for a 20-episode first season a year prior.[7] Its original broadcast garnered roughly 2.8 million viewers, ranking 81st of the top 100 cable shows for adults aged 18 to 49.[8] The network announced a month later in a press release that the show had risen as the top-rated show for kids aged two to eleven, averaging 1.7 million viewers and a Nielsen rating of 5.3.[9] A second season, also consisting of 20 episodes, was announced in May 2014.[10]

In Canada, the series premiered on YTV March 8, 2014.[11] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Nicktoons started airing it on September 22, 2014.[12] In Australia, Nickelodeon premiered the series on November 1, 2014.[13]

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media assessed its reliance on toilet humor as questionable while giving credit to the strength of the protagonists' friendship. She particularly praised the bread-related puns sometimes uttered by characters but acknowledged that "they're not likely to strike the same chord of hilarity with your kids."[14] New York Daily News writer David Hinckley linked its style of humor as enticing to its target demographic. He ultimately stated that it "sprinkles in a few grownup jokes, particularly bread-related puns, but it aims mostly at the younger set."[15]

Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Robert Lloyd found its visual style oddly pleasant and identified a slew of potential influences and references. While he saw the humor as "loud and often gross," the end result was "basically genial."[16] Tori Michel of About.com dubbed its use of mixed media interesting, yet headache-inducing for parents. While she called the concept and the characters "definitely original," she stressed that its crude humor may call for avoiding it altogether for some parents.[17] Tom Conroy of Media Life Magazine wrote poorly of the show, finding it unfunny throughout. He specified its "noisy and violent" content as too much for little kids as well as being "too stupid for big kids."[18]

Episodes

Main article: List of Breadwinners episodes
SeasonSegmentsEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
PilotAugust 22, 2012 (2012-08-22)YouTube
13820February 17, 2014 (2014-02-17)April 26, 2015 (2015-04-26)Nickelodeon
21720[10]9April 5, 2015 (2015-04-05)December 11, 2015 (2015-12-11)
2211April 18, 2016 (2016-04-18)September 12, 2016 (2016-09-12)Nicktoons

Home media

DVD releases

Region 1
DVD title Series(s) Aspect ratio Episode count Total running time Release date(s)
Season 1[19] 1 16:9 20 450 minutes August 6, 2015

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ It was established that DiRaffaele and Borst applied for the Midsummer Night Toons festival in New York City.[1]: 2 
  2. ^ Cold Hard Flash is an entertainment and news website dedicated to media produced with Adobe Flash, founded by Aaron Simpson.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i James, Meg (February 7, 2014). "Has Nickelodeon found its new bread winner?". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. pp. 1–3 (paginated). Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c Keady, Cameron (March 7, 2014). "Duck Tales". Time for Kids. 4 (19). Time Inc. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)[page needed]
  3. ^ a b c Milligan, Mercedes (February 2014). "Nick's Plucky Newcomers". Animation. 28 (3): 32. ISSN 1041-617X. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Simpson, Aaron (January 30, 2014). "Watch a Sneak Preview of Nick's Breadwinners". Cold Hard Flash. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Simpson, Aaron (February 25, 2013). "About Cold Hard Flash". Cold Hard Flash. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Nickelodeon breaks bread with brand-new animated series Breadwinners, delivering Monday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)" (Press release). Burbank, California: Viacom International. January 21, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 26, 2013). "Nickelodeon Hits 'Reset' Button, Orders Toon Series Breadwinners, Renews TMNT". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Bibel, Sara (February 19, 2014). "Monday Cable Ratings: WWE Raw Wins Night, Basketball Wives, Single Ladies, Teen Wolf, Switched at Birth & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Nickelodeon's New Animated Series Breadwinners Quickly Rises to Number 1" (Press release). Viacom International. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014 – via TV by the Numbers. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b Patten, Dominic (May 8, 2014). "Nickelodeon Renews Breadwinners For Second Season". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. Cite error: The named reference "Patten 2014" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ "YTV's New March Break-Out Schedule Gives Kids an Entire Month of New Episodes, Movie Premieres and Specials". corusent.com. Corus Entertainment. February 11, 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Prepare to Loaf Out Loud as Nickelodeon Delivers New Animation Breadwinners". vimn.com. Viacom. August 22, 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  13. ^ DHiggins (October 27, 2014). "THIS WEEK: NBA, Boardwalk Empire finale, Chicago Fire, Project Runway, Pakistan v Australia & Space Month". http://community.foxtel.com.au/. Foxtel. Retrieved 4 November 2014. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  14. ^ Ashby, Emily (February 14, 2014). "Breadwinners". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Hinckley, David (February 17, 2014). "Cartoon ducks take a quack at baking in Nickelodeon's rewarding Breadwinners". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Lloyd, Robert (February 17, 2014). "Review: Breadwinners gets its genial ducks in a row on Nickelodeon". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Michel, Tori (June 25, 2014). "Is Breadwinners a Winner?". About.com. IAC/InterActiveCorp. Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Conroy, Tom (February 11, 2014). "Breadwinners, ducks deserve better". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Breadwinners-Complete-Season-Robbie-Daymond/dp/B0104WZD0A/ref=sr_1_4?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1435715198&sr=1-4&keywords=breadwinners

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