Gabby's Dollhouse
Gabby's Dollhouse is an American live-action/computer-animated/interactive preschool television series created by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey for Netflix which first premiered on January 5, 2021. In the series, Gabby (voiced by Laila Lockhart Kraner)[1][2] and her cat friends, called the Gabby Cats, go on adventures within her dollhouse.
| Gabby's Dollhouse | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Traci Paige Johnson Jennifer Twomey |
| Presented by | Laila Lockhart Kraner |
| Voices of | Juliet Donenfeld Tucker Chandler Eduardo Franco Sainty Nelsen Maggie Lowe Secunda Wood Tara Strong Donovan Patton Carla Tassara |
| Opening theme | "Hey Gabby!" by PT Walkley |
| Composer | PT Walkley |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 58 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Traci Paige Johnson Jennifer Twomey |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | DreamWorks Animation Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | January 5, 2021 – present |
Premise edit
Gabby's Dollhouse has built-in silences designed to encourage audience participation.
Each episode begins with the live-action Gabby playing in her bedroom. She then unboxes a miniature that is the catalyst for an adventure inside the animated world of her dollhouse.[3] Gabby puts on her cat ears headband and shrinks down with her stuffed toy, Pandy Paws, who comes alive to surprise Gabby with a “hug attack.” Common rituals may involve an encounter with CatRat, who often randomly appears in one of the rooms in the dollhouse.
The dollhouse has seven key cat-themed rooms where Gabby’s adventures take place with the various Gabby Cats:
- Bathroom, where MerCat does science experiments that are “spa” themed
- Bedroom, where Pillow Cat tells stories and encourages make believe
- Craft room, where Baby Box and her family teach how to make DIY projects
- Fairytail Garden, where Kitty Fairy takes care of magical plants
- Kitchen, where Cakey makes snacks and desserts decorated with cats
- Music room, where DJ Catnip teaches how to play musical instruments
- Playroom, where Carlita joins in physical education games
At the end of each episode is a “Gabby Cat of the Day” segment, where one of the Gabby Cats is selected to guide the viewer one-on-one in crafting, cooking, or singing. Then it goes back to live-action Gabby who closes out the episode.[3]
Characters edit
Main edit
- Gabby (voiced and portrayed by Laila Lockhart Kraner) is a 15-year-old girl who is the show's host and has a magical cat headband which is able to shrink her down to animated toy-size by singing the incantation "A pinch to the left. Pinch pinch to the right. Grab Pandy's hands and hold on tight".
- Floyd is Gabby's real-life tabby cat who makes his only appearance in the live-action sequences. According to Traci Page Johnson Floyd has been portrayed by a female cat that goes by the name “Amelia.”
- Pandy Paws (voiced by Tucker Chandler) is a black and white Gabby Cat who is half-kitty/half-panda, and Gabby's sidekick and best friend. He starts off as a stuffed toy, but comes to life when he and Gabby shrink into the dollhouse. He likes ambushing Gabby with "hug attacks" upon them entering the dollhouse.
- Carlita (voiced by Carla Tassara) is a purple and teal Gabby Cat who is half-kitty/half-car and drives around the dollhouse and likes playing games.
- Cakey (voiced by Juliet Donenfeld) is a small white Gabby Cat who is half-kitty/half-cupcake and makes sweet treats and snacks. He is able to create sprinkles, by either crying when upset or spinning around and yelling, "Sprinkle party!' when excited. He has four little cousins named Bakey, Flakey, Marshapan, and Paddycake.
- Daniel James "DJ" Catnip (voiced by Eduardo Franco) is a lavender Gabby Cat who wears a reddish-pink glittery hoodie which is able to stretch his tail and legs in addition to mainly using them to play instruments. He also sometimes wears a visor over his eyes.
- CatRat (voiced by Donovan Patton) is a blue sneaky Gabby Cat who is half-cat/half-rat with dark blue and light blue markings who pops up in every room. He likes everything shiny and sometimes plays the role of a villain in certain episodes.
- Pillow Cat (voiced by Sainty Nelsen) is a multi-colored Gabby Cat who is half-kitty/half-pillow. She likes making stories and she usually takes "catnaps".
- Kitty Fairy (voiced by Tara Strong) is a pink half-kitty/half-fairy Gabby Cat with clear, pink and green wings, a pair of wishberry blossom-like antennae, a green flower-like dress and a flower crown. She makes garden magic with her tail, or her watering can.
- MerCat (voiced by Secunda Wood) is a turquoise Gabby Cat who is half-kitty/half-mermaid. She makes science "spa-themed".
- Baby Box (voiced by Maggie Lowe) is a young pink/peach Gabby Cat who is made of cardboard. She likes making crafts and is the daughter of Mama Box Cat. She did, sometimes, say her catchphrase: "Whoopsies!" (which would later become a song featured in the soundtrack for the series).
- Mama Box (voiced by Tara Strong) is a fuchsia/peach Gabby Cat who is the mother of Baby Box.
Supporting edit
- The Box Brothers (all voiced by Jude Schwartz) are the brothers of Baby Box and sons of Mama Box.
- Benny Box is Baby Box's baby brother who debuted in Season 8.
- Cupcake Cousins (respectively voiced by Henry Witcher, Archibald Englehardt, Mia Lynn Bangunan, and Amari McCoy) are Cakey's four younger cousins who appeared in the episode "Cakey's Cupcake Cousins". Their names are Bakey, Flakey, Marshapan, and Paddycake. As such, the colors are, by the following order: Bakey is pink, Flakey is blue, Marshapan is green, and Paddycake is yellow. Flakey and Marshapan are male, and Bakey and Paddycake are female. Bakey returns in "Baby Box's Meow-Seum Day".
- Pete (voiced by Eric Lopez) is a polar bear who appears in the episode of the same name. He is a friend of Gabby and the Gabby Cats. He returned in the episode "Snow Cruise".
- Fluffy Flufferton (voiced by Elena Murray) is a feline pop star who appears in the episode of the same name in season 4.
- Luli-Loo (voiced by Halle Hrzich) is a young blue fairy Gabby Cat who appears in the episode "The Fairy Festival". She returns in "True Fairy Friends". And she returned again in the episode "Baby Benny Box Is Here!".
- Bitty Fairy (voiced by Thomas Bushell in a British accent) is a small male black Fairy Fly with multicolored spots who appears in "True Fairy Friends".
- DJ Comet (voiced by Reggi Watkins) is a light green Gabby Cat who is DJ Catnip's alien cousin who appeared in "Mission to Caturn". He, like DJ Catnip, is able to stretch his tail and legs, but also to spin them around like a helicopter. He returns in the episode "Dollhouse Dress-Up Chest".
- Figgy (voiced by Rachel Ling Gordon) is a pink elf-like Gabby Cat who appears in the episode "A CAT-Tabulous Christmas". She's a lot like Fluffy Flufferton, but pink.
- Kico (vocal effects provided by Juliet Donenfeld) is a young kitty-unicorn hybrid who appears in the episode of the same name.
- Santa Kitty (voiced by Darrell Brown) is an orange Gabby Cat who is this show's version of Santa Claus.
- Candy Cane is a red reindeer kitty who leads Santa Kitty's sleigh.
- The Hamster Kitties (vocal effects provided by Maggie Lowe and Juliet Donenfeld) are tiny cat-hamster hybrids who occasionally appear in the series.
- The Dust Bunnies are cute small bunnies made of dust that sometimes show up.
- The Doodads are three Gabby Cats made of cardboard and other crafty things who are the rivals of Gabby, Pandy and Carlita during the Meow-Mazing Games.
- Spongey-Saurus (voiced by Kailen Jude) is a green dinosaur who appears in the episode of the same name.
- Sunny Cat (voiced by Brittney Johnson) is MerCat's sister who appeared in Season 8.
- Kitty Narwhal (voiced by Traci Paige Johnson) is a minor character who is one of MerCat’s sea creature friends. She returns in "The Mermaid Cruise Ship".
- Kitty Squiddy (voiced by PT Walkey) is a blue and purple cat/squid hybrid who appears in the episode "The Magical Mermaid-Lantis as the main antagonist. He stole the three gems that activate the rainbow and he believed that he doesn't have a sparkle like anyone else, but he eventually finds his special sparkle by dancing.
- Zeke (vocal effects provided by Maggie Lowe) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish. He loves hide and seek.
- Munchy (vocal effects provided by Maggie Lowe) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish. He loves to eat crunchy foods.
- Dot (vocal effects provided by Juliet Donenfeld) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish. She loves to put dots all over paintings.
- Disco (vocal effects provided by Juliet Donenfeld) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish. He loves to dance.
- Hsiu Hsiu (voiced by Aria Surrec) is MerCat and Sunny Cat's little sister who made an appearance in the Gabby’s Dollhouse Hoilday Special of 2023.
Episodes edit
The first episode was released as a sneak peek on YouTube on August 22, 2020, while the series itself was released on January 5, 2021.[4][5] The second season premiered on August 10, 2021,[6] while the third season premiered on October 19, 2021.[7] The fourth season premiered on February 1, 2022,[8] the fifth season premiered on July 25, 2022,[9] the sixth season premiered on November 1, 2022,[10] the seventh season premiered on March 20, 2023,[11] and the eighth season premiered on August 7, 2023.[12] "Mermaid Christmas Cruise" aired on November 6, 2023, as part of Season 8.[13]
Production and development edit
The show was created early in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first DreamWorks property where the creators were based in New York City instead of Los Angeles, and the whole production team, including the creators, were connected via videoconferencing, also a first for a DreamWorks production.[14]
The basic themes of the show — dollhouses, miniatures, and cats — were creators Traci Page Johnson and Jennifer Twomey's favorites, while the concept of the "dollhouse deliveries" was inspired by unboxing videos, although tweaked so that instead of "unboxing a product", they "unbox a story".[15] Initially, cats were not the main theme of the show — for example, the character of DJ Catnip was originally supposed to be a clock — but this was changed based on the trend of cat videos.[14]
Early in the show's production, the creators came across Carol Dweck's book The Growth Mindset, which has led to the production team adopting the idea of celebrating mistakes and "failing fantastically", which is promoted on the show.[14][16]
The soundtrack of the show includes genres not often found in children's shows, such as disco/pop (the genre used for DJ Catnip's theme song "The Music In You"), which is due to the creators not liking "saccharine-y sweet music".[15]
Animation production for the show was provided by Technicolor Animation Productions (later Mikros Animation) (Seasons 1-6 only), Dave Enterprises, CGCG, and Gabby Gabby Hey Productions, Ltd. with live action provided by One-Take Floyd.[citation needed]
Broadcast edit
The show made its linear debut on Cartoonito in Latin America on April 18, 2022, on Treehouse TV in Canada on October 15, 2022, and on Tiny Pop in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2022.[17] The show made its American linear premiere on the Nick Jr. Channel on May 1, 2023,[18] Nickelodeon on June 5, 2023, and Mick Kids Latinoamerica.[18] Gabby's Dollhouse was removed from Nickelodeon on June 8, 2023.[18]
Reception edit
The show was nominated for a Kidscreen award in 2021 and released a series of show-themed toys for the 2021 holiday season.[19][20] For the episode "Cakey's Cupcake Cousins", it was nominated for Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children at the 50th Annie Awards.[21]
References edit
- ^ Darwish, Meaghan. "'Gabby's Dollhouse' Season 2 First Look: Crafts, Music & More Baking! (VIDEO)". Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ "'Gabby's Dollhouse' Will Make You a Cat Person If It Kills You". 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ a b "INTERVIEW: Inside Dreamworks New Netflix Series "Gabby's Dollhouse" – Animation Scoop".
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (2020-12-08). "Trailer: DreamWorks Hybrid Series 'Gabby's Dollhouse' Debuts on Netflix Jan. 5". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ "Three New DreamWorks Animation Television Series Coming to Netflix". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ McGuire, Jen (2021-08-09). "This exclusive look at Gabby's Dollhouse season 2". Romper. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ Gabby's Dollhouse Season 3 Release Date
- ^ "Exclusive: Watch the Trailer for 'Gabby's Dollhouse' Season 4". 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Netflix Greenlights 2 New DreamWorks Animation Preschool Series".
- ^ "'Gabby's Dollhouse' Is Coming Back for Season 6 — Catch Our Exclusive Sneak Peek Here".
- ^ Gabby's Dollhouse Season 7 Release Date
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (May 17, 2023). "'Miraculous' Movie Joins Sizzling Netflix Family Summer Slate! (New Dates, Images)". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ https://twitter.com/dreamworksjr/status/1711773716361973782
- ^ a b c "How 'Blue's Clues' Veterans, Unboxing Videos and Cat Ears Helped Make 'Gabby's Dollhouse' an Unsung Kids Media Hit". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 November 2022.
- ^ a b "How 'Gabby's Dollhouse' Creators Make Preschool Shows Watchable for Adults". 3 February 2022.
- ^ "The 'Gabby's Dollhouse' Season 7 Trailer Leans into the Magic of Travel". 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Gabby's Dollhouse".
- ^ a b c "Shows A-Z - Gabby's Dollhouse on netflix". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Babish, Sian (2021-11-23). "Best Gabby's Dollhouse toy". Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ dickson, jeremy (2021-11-30). "Activism, Netflix dominate Kidscreen Awards nominations". Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (2023-01-17). "Annie Awards: 'Pinocchio' Leads the Pack with Nine Nominations; Juried Awards Announced". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-29.