Hip Hop Harry

*Hip Hop Harry*
Hip Hop Harry
	Hip Hop Harry
Created by	Claude Brooks; Gelila Asres
Written by	Morgan Wood
Directed by	Brian Campbell
Composer	French Spencer
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producers	Claude Brooks ; Martha Ripp ; Gelila Asres
Producer	Josh Zaretsky
Production locations	Sunset Gower Studios, Los Angeles, California
Cinematography	Bart Ping ; Terry Clark
Editor	Evan Finn
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22-30 Minutes
Production company	Discovery Kids Productions
Original release
Network	Discovery Kids; TLC; Retro Television Network
Release	September 26, 2006 –; July 14, 2008

Hip Hop Harry is an American children's television show that aired on Discovery Kids and TLC as part of the Ready Set Learn block, as well as most Retro Television Network affiliates, as an E/I-compliant program. Similar to Barney & Friends, Kidsongs, Sesame Street and Teletubbies on PBS, Hip Hop Harry is a live action program designed for children in the 3-9 year old age group. The program uses age appropriate hip hop music and dance to teach social, educational, physical and creative skills.

In 2017, Harry has been featured in the YouTube series "Hip Hop Harry Toy Review."

Sypnopsis

The show takes place in a learning/play center house known as "Hip Hop Central", where Hip Hop Harry and his friends learn, play, and dance. In between, the kids learn about the main topic of the episode. After they have learned about the topic, they sing and rap the song "I Love to Learn". Then, the kids and Hip Hop discuss what they've learned via question/answers and watching highlights from the day's episode via a pushbutton monitor. Each episode concludes with the "Hip Hop Harry Dance Circle", where the kids circle up while one of them dances in the center as they chant, "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!". Even Harry dances in the circle too [thus, the kids chant, "Go, Harry!"]. But before they dance, they do a warmup dance called, "The Harry". After the kids come together to pose in the middle, the credits roll.

Physical Appearance

Hip Hop Harry is an anthropomorphic yellow furry bear with a red shirt, blue hat, baggy blue pants, a gold chain with an "H" in the middle, and white shoes with an "H" on each side. Also, Harry has a blue and red wrist watch. The character's appearance is in the general style of hip hop fashion. His birthday is January 22, 1988, as noted in episode 5.

Cast

David Joyner - Voice of Hip Hop Harry.
Ryan Andres - Tells jokes in the episode "Finding Your Talent".
Kelli Berglund - Kelli helps plan a surprise party for Pinky in "Do Your Part."
Kendra Bracy - Introduces her grandmother from Trinidad in one episode.
Colton Burton - Colton is one of William's best friends; Colton is only seen in episodes which also feature William.
Kiana Contreres - Kiana plays a key role in the episode "Get Involved," cheering her sister's Double Dutch team to victory.
Jake Deanda - Jake is one of the first kids to meet Katie in "Making New Friends."
Savannah DeJesus - Savannah appears in "Fancy Footwook" and "Rain makes Rainbows" with her sister Sophina.
Sophina DeJesus - Sophina is an aspiring gymnast who enjoys working with her sister, Savannah.
Kelly Dolan - played as Pinky.
Jeremy Washington - played as Riddles.
Hayden Harrah - Hayden appears less frequently than other members of the cast, but was a big help during "A B See."
Jay Jay Harris - Jay Jay is shown in "Pajama Party" and "Just Give it a Try" to be reluctant to try new things. He and Riddles get along very well. After an impressive bongo drum performance, Hip Hop Harry speculates that Jay Jay may one day be on a salsa record.
David Joyner - David is a former long running Barney performer and was the Hip Hop Harry suit performer.
William May - Is one of the best dancers. He appears in many episodes. In "Hip Hop Big Top" he was concerned about not being able to dance with a brace on his leg. With encouragement from Hip Hop Harry and his friends, he realized he could still be a part of the circus.
Veronica Miller - Veronica likes to sing in "Finding Your Talent."
Katie Petitte - Katie is the new girl in "Making New Friends."
Davide Schiavone - Davide has a similar hairdo to Dylan and Cole Sprouse and seems to do the same dance on every episode.
Elizabeth Small - Her zipper provides the finishing touch in "A B See."
Scott Thomas - Scott appears in several episodes. He was featured in "Never Give Up", when he wanted to quit basketball because of a bad day at practice. Hip Hop Harry gives him some encouragement and Scott realizes that he should never give up.
Megan Woo - Megan loves animals, and wishes to be a veterinarian when she grows up.
Tyler White - A young break-dancer with a talent for windmills, and the strongman in Hip Hop Harry's circus.
Mail Carrier Carla - played by Valerie Sheppard, who appears in the episode, "Dream It! Achieve It!"

The gang performed Move Those Feet at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 25 and 26, 2009 on the Target children's stage, on the campus of UCLA.

Episodes

Season 1 (2006)

Season- #	Episode Name	Original Air Date	Kids In Episode	Summary
1-1.	Fancy Footwork	September 26, 2006	Sophina, Savannah, Jay-Jay, Scott	Two sisters compete against each other in a dance competition but learn that in reality they're on the same team.
1-2.	When I Grow Up	September 27, 2006	Savannah, Jay Jay, Scott, Megan	Megan has trouble deciding what she wants to be when she grows up; Harry and the gang learns about different jobs.
1-3.	Words Have Power	September 28, 2006	Sophina, David, Scott, Megan	Sophina gets mad at Davide and uses bad words and learns a lesson in carefully choosing your words when you speak. Meanwhile, Megan learns that the best birthday gift to give to somebody is when you make it yourself.
1-4.	Making New Friends	September 29, 2006	Jake, Veronica, Katie, Davide	The kids try to make a new girl feel comfortable by involving her in their activities.
1-5.	Do Your Part	October 2, 2006	Kelli, Kendra, Colton, William	Kelli throws a surprise birthday party for Pinky.
1-6.	Never Give Up	October 3, 2006	Sophina, David, Scott, Megan	Scott is discouraged at not making any shots during basketball practice, Harry gives Scott a few tips; the kids learn about what happens underwater.
1-7.	Be Creative	October 4, 2006	Sophina, David, Scott, Kelli	Harry and the gang have a costume party at Hip Hop Central. The theme for it, is a Marching Band costume party. Scott learns how to be creative about the fact that you can use other things for costumes.
1-8.	We Have Five Senses	October 5, 2006	Jake, Veronica, David, Elizabeth	The kids are challenged to perform an activity that uses all five of their senses.
1-9.	Wildlife Wendy	October 30, 2006	Jake, Veronica, David, Elizabeth	Wildlife Wendy teaches the kids about birds.
1-10.	Air Air Everywhere	October 31, 2006	Kelli, Kendra, Colton, William	William has a homework assignment to prove that air surrounds everyone.
1-11.	Pajama Party	November 1, 2006	Jay-Jay, Kiana, Savannah, Tyler	Harry and the kids throw a pajama party; Wildlife Wendy teaches the gang about nocturnal animals.
1-12.	Rain Makes Rainbows	November 2, 2006	Sophina, Scott, Jay Jay, Megan, Savannah	The kids are sad about not being able to play outside when it rains, but Hip Hop Harry encourages them not to be sad and helps them learn that rain makes rainbows, and invents a musical way to put them all in order.
1-13.(Season Finale)	Dream It, Achieve It	November 3, 2006	Elizabeth, Hayden, Veronica, William	Hip Hop Central wins a reading contest. Special guest appearance by Brutha.

Season 2 (2007–08)

Season- #	Episode Name	Original Air Date	Kids In Episode	Summary
2-1.	My Favorite Things	April 23, 2007	Kelli, Colton, Kendra, William	William and Kendra share their favorite possessions; William learns how wrong it is to lie.
2-2.	A-B See	April 24, 2007	Elizabeth, Hayden, Veronica, William	The kids find things that begin with each letter of the alphabet; Hip Hop Harry teaches Elizabeth that when you have a problem, let your friends help solve it.
2-3.	Peas in a Pod	April 25, 2007	Kiana, Tyler, Savannah, Jay-Jay	Farmer Fran teaches the kids about farm life.
2-4.	Make Your Dreams Come True	April 26, 2007	Sophina, David, Scott, Megan	A professional gymnast, a veterinarian, and a children's band visit and explain the concepts of hard work.
2-5.	Finding Your Talent	April 27, 2007	Ryan, Veronica, William, Elizabeth, Katie	Veronicaa has trouble deciding what her talent is.
2-6.	Get Involved	September 10, 2007	Kiana, Tyler, Jay-Jay, Savannah	Kiana feels left out, but Hip Hop Harry encourages her to get involved in things that other people do.
2-7.	I Like to Move	September 11, 2007	Kelli, Hayden, Sophina, Scott	The kids learn about exercise and try new ways of exercise with help from Ms. Kellee.
2-8.	Just Give It a Try	September 12, 2007	Ryan, Veronica, Elizabeth, Jay-Jay	The kids make hand puppets for a puppet show, but Jay-Jay worries if his will be any good. So Hip Hop Harry encourages him to just try it out because something good might come out of it.
2-9.	Grandma Brooks	September 13, 2007	Kiana, Kendra, William, Tyler	The kids create a Hip-Hop Center Carnival. Also, Kendra's grandmother visits Hip Hop Central.
2-10.	My Music is Your Music	September 14, 2007	Jay-Jay, Ryan, Veronica, Elizabeth	Hip Hop Harry helps the kids appreciate different styles of music; Elizabeth and Pinky have a short-term savings plan that inspires long-term goals.
2-11.	You Can Dance	February 23, 2008	Katie, Jake, Veronica, David	Katie can dance ballet, but she needs to take classes with the other kids to learn hip-hop.
2-12.	Hip Hop Big Top	June 9, 2008	Kendra, Kiana, William, Tyler	The gang has a circus at Hip Hop Central; William thinks he can't help because he accidentally wore a boot on one of his feet, but Hip Hop Harry tells him not to worry about that.
2-13	Fun Memories (Final Series/Season Finale)	July 14, 2008	Scott, Jay-Jay, Elizabeth, Kendra, Kiana	The kids are worried that they'll never see each other again. So Hip Hop Harry encourages them not to be sad just because school is out, and just use their memories to reminisce on their thoughts, so they'll always remember their friends, wherever they may be.

References