Wikipedia
Make Way for Noddy
Make Way for Noddy (stylized make way for NODDY) is a computer-animated musical children's television series that was produced by British animation studio Chorion in conjunction with American animation studio SD Entertainment. Based on Enid Blyton's Noddy character, it was originally broadcast on Channel 5 (later known as Five; in twelve minute segments and as part of the Milkshake! programme) in September 2002.[1]
| Make Way for Noddy | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy Musical |
| Created by | Jymn Magon |
| Based on | Classic Noddy works and characters of Enid Blyton |
| Directed by | Byron Vaughns |
| Voices of | Edward Chun Joanna Ruiz Pavel Douglas Richard Newman Ben Small Tabitha St. Germain Carrie Mullan |
| Theme music composer | Steven Bernstein Julie Bernstein |
| Opening theme | "Make Way for Noddy" by the Kidsongs Kids |
| Composers | Score: Steven Bernstein Julie Bernstein Original Songs: Steven Bernstein Julie Bernstein Lorraine Feather Larry Grossman Music Direction: Sharon Sampson Terry Sampson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 100 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Paul Sabella Jonathan Dern Carolyn Monroe Lorrie Lewis Bradley Hood-Stevenson |
| Producers | Robert Winthrop Byron Vaughns |
| Editor | Jymn Magon |
| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Production companies | Chorion SD Entertainment[a] |
| Distributor | Chorion |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 5/Five (United Kingdom) PBS Kids (United States) |
| Original release | 2002 September 2 – 2006 April 7 |
| Chronology | |
| Related | Noddy's Toyland Adventures (1992-1999) Noddy in Toyland (2009) Noddy, Toyland Detective (2016-2017) |
Premise
The series changed its format in some ways from previous incarnations of Noddy to take advantage of the CGI medium and to appeal to more contemporary audiences, such as Noddy now also being able to fly a plane as part of his taxi duties and making Master Tubby Bear a more believable character. However it largely stuck to what the franchise established prior-hand. In addition to the franchise's characters, Make Way for Noddy also introduced actual children voicing the younger characters of the series.
Characters
- Noddy (voiced by Edward Chun in the UK and David A. Kaye/Alberto Ghisi in the US) is the protagonist of the series. Noddy is an imaginative wooden boy who lives in Toyland. Although Noddy is characterised as a child, he also serves as the main taxi driver. He sometimes begins nodding uncontrollably, such as after sneezing, and has to physically stop himself from nodding.
- Tessie Bear (voiced by Joanna Ruiz in the UK and Britt McKillip in the US) is a neutral and child-like female teddy bear who is Noddy's best friend, always ready to try something new and help everyone she sees.
- Big Ears (voiced by Pavel Douglas in the UK and Michael Dobson in the US) is a gnome who serves as a father figure to Noddy and the other toys with astute knowledge and a fine sense-of-humour.
- Dinah Doll (voiced by Andrea Harris in the UK and Tabitha St. Germain in the US) is a Toy Town shopkeeper and a big sibling support figure to Noddy.
- Mr. Plod (voiced by Richard Newman in the UK and in the US and Pavel Douglas in the UK and in the US specials and the video games (excluding Noddy and the Magic Moondust) and part of the UK and the US episodes) is Toyland's sole police officer who is persistent for maintaining a certain order but means well and whose catchphrase is "Halt/Stop, in the name of Plod!"
- Bumpy Dog (voiced by Ben Small in the UK and Lee Tockar in the US) is Tessie Bear's extremely playful but loyal and sensitive dog.
- Gobbo and Sly (voiced by Ben Small in the UK and Don Brown and Doug Parker in the US) are two goblins who serve as the series' antagonists. Gobbo is the more conniving and intelligent one while Sly is the more airheaded and curious of the two members.
- Mr. Sparks (voiced by Ben Small in the UK and Lee Tockar in the US) is Toyland's street-smart mechanic.
- Miss Pink Cat (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain in the UK and in the US) is the pessimistic and sophisticated owner of Toy Town's ice cream shop. She speaks with a French accent.
- Master Tubby Bear (voiced by Carrie Mullan in the UK and Manny Petruzzelli in the US) is a young teddy bear whose role was changed from a tricky mummy's boy (in previous incarnations) to a moody but lovable anti-idol kid in this series, though this was clearly done as it lent more to having him involved in stories, this time in noticeable contrast as a boy hero to Noddy.
- Martha Monkey (voiced by Joanna Ruiz in the UK and Kathleen Barr in the US) is a stuffed monkey with an energetic but bossy tomboy personality.
- Mr. Jumbo (voiced by Ben Small in the UK and Ian James Corlett in the US) is a mild-mannered stuffed elephant.
- Clockwork Mouse (voiced by Joanna Ruiz in the UK and Kathleen Barr in the US) is a perky wind-up toy mouse who isn't sometimes feeling dwarfed by the other inhabitants of Toyland for his size.
- Mr. Wobblyman (voiced by Ben Small in the UK and Ian James Corlett in the US) is a roly-poly toy who is always diligent about doing the right thing.
- Clockwork Clown (voiced by Ben Small in the UK and Ian James Corlett in the US) is a toy clown.
- The Skittles (voiced by Joanna Ruiz, Carrie Johnston and Ben Small in the UK and Teryl Rothery and Chantal Strand in the US) are a family of orderly bowling pins.
- Harvey and Cecilia (voiced by Ben Small and Joanna Ruiz in the UK and the US) are two beetles.
Production
Development
The series was first announced to be in production in October 2000, with 100 11-minute episodes and a feature-length Christmas special announced to be in production for a 2001 delivery.[2] In January 2001, SD Entertainment were announced to be co-producers on the series and they announced it would be their first project.[3]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Steven and Julie Bernstein with additional songs by Larry Grossman and Lorraine Feather, with Terry and Sharon Sampson directing the music and the cast of the TV show Kidsongs performing the theme song and the music video segments for the series.
Distribution
Channel 5 acquired the UK broadcast rights to the series in the summer of 2002 for a broadcast within the fall schedule.[4]
Say It with Noddy
A spin-off interstitial series, Say it with Noddy, aired as part of the main show in the US and as a separate program in the UK. It featured Noddy learning various foreign language words (Spanish, French, Swahili, Russian and Mandarin) from a robot named Whizz (voiced by Matt Hill in the US and Justin Fletcher in the UK).
American version
In 2005, the series premiered in the United States on PBS Kids. As PBS lacks commercials, the series was edited to fit a half-hour, gaining a longer format featuring two twelve minute segments, two interstitial programs, a music video and footage of British television presenter Naomi Wilkinson from Milkshake!.
PBS acquired US broadcast rights in October 2004.[5] In the US, the series aired from 11 September 2005 to 15 June 2007 and later reran until September 2015 on NBC and PBS Kids Sprout in the US. As of 2022[update] the series is available to stream on Peacock.
Episodes
Season 1 (UK, 2002, US, 2005-2006)
| No. | Title | Air date (UK) | Air date (US) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Too Many Noddies" | 2 September 2002 | 11 September 2005 | |
| When wanting to have fun, Noddy uses Big Ears's spell to duplicate himself. | ||||
| 2 | "Noddy and the New Taxi" | 3 September 2002 | 18 September 2005 | |
| Sly and Gobbo set up a rival taxi business forcing Noddy off the road. | ||||
| 3 | "Noddy and the Magic Bagpipes" | 4 September 2002 | ||
| Noddy wants to learn to play the bagpipes, so he borrows a pair of magic bagpipes from Big Ears, but the bagpipes run away when Noddy doesn't play them. | ||||
| 4 | "Noddy Has a Visitor" | 5 September 2002 | 2 October 2005 | |
| Martha Monkey stays at Noddy's and forces him to be nice to her because she's his visitor. | ||||
| 5 | "Noddy's Perfect Gift" | 6 September 2002 | 9 October 2005 | |
| Noddy wants to find the perfect gift for Tessie Bear's birthday. | ||||
| 6 | "Noddy's Lucky Day" | 9 September 2002 | 16 October 2005 | |
| Mr. Sparks's newest invention tells Noddy that tomorrow will be his lucky day, but it doesn't seem that his invention is right the next morning. | ||||
| 7 | "Policeman for a Day" | 10 September 2002 | 23 October 2005 | |
| Mr. Plod gives Noddy the job of putting up posters around the town (along with his official policeman's badge). However Noddy starts taking advantage of his job and causes trouble. | ||||
| 8 | "Bounce Alert in Toyland" | 11 September 2002 | 30 October 2005 | |
| Bouncing balls come to Toytown and play, but Gobbo and Sly capture them. | ||||
| 9 | "Tickled Pink" | 12 September 2002 | 6 November 2005 | |
| Noddy puts a spell on himself to make others laugh to his jokes, but everyone who hears him becomes pink in the face and starts laughing uncontrollably. | ||||
| 10 | "Noddy's Pet Chicken" | 13 September 2002 | 13 November 2005 | |
| Noddy finds a chicken and takes it as his pet. | ||||
| 11 | "Noddy Goes Shopping" | 16 September 2002 | 20 November 2005 | |
| Big Ears can't sleep so he sends Noddy to bring him the things he needs to fall asleep. | ||||
| 12 | "Hold on to your Hat, Noddy!" | 17 September 2002 | 27 November 2005 | |
| Noddy and Tessie Bear organize a party for Big Ears, but the wind takes them up into the air while driving to it. | ||||
| 13 | "Toy Town's Winning Team" | 18 September 2002 | 4 December 2005 | |
| Noddy wants Mr. Wobblyman to join their football team. | ||||
| 14 | "Noddy and the Bumper Monster" | 19 September 2002 | 11 December 2005 | |
| Mr. Plod tells Noddy a scary story. When Noddy believes it, Martha Monkey makes him believe that the monster's chasing him. | ||||
| 15 | "The Magic Powder" | 20 September 2002 | 18 December 2005 | |
| Sly and Gobbo give everyone in town a powder that causes them to dance along to their music box unable to stop. Bumpy Dog comes to the rescue. | ||||
| 16 | "A Bike for Big Ears" | 23 September 2002 | 25 December 2005 | |
| Noddy destroys Big Ears's bike. He takes it to Mr. Sparks to fix it and gives it a special engine that gives Big-Ears a nasty shock. | ||||
| 17 | "Noddy and the Voice of Plod" | 24 September 2002 | 1 January 2006 | |
| Noddy helps Mr. Plod with his policeman job after making him lose his voice. | ||||
| 18 | "Master Tubby's Opposite Day" | 25 September 2002 | 8 January 2006 | |
| Master Tubby Bear says everything he means in opposites which causes confusion for everyone in Toyland. | ||||
| 19 | "Don't Be Scared Noddy" | 26 September 2002 | 15 January 2006 | |
| Noddy thinks that there are monsters in his house. | ||||
| 20 | "The Goblin's Stopwatch" | 27 September 2002 | 22 January 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo find a stopwatch that stops time. | ||||
| 21 | "Mr. Sparks and the Broken Clock" | 30 September 2002 | 29 January 2006 | |
| Toytown's clock is broken and Mr. Sparks has problems with fixing it. | ||||
| 22 | "Noddy's on the Move" | 1 October 2002 | 5 February 2006 | |
| With Master Tubby's help, Noddy tries to move. | ||||
| 23 | "The Flower Thief" | 2 October 2002 | 12 February 2006 | |
| Noddy grows ten roses for Tessie Bear that start mysteriously disappearing. | ||||
| 24 | "Noddy and the Treasure Map" | 3 October 2002 | 19 February 2006 | |
| Gobbo and Sly give Noddy a treasure map. | ||||
| 25 | "Mr. Plod and the Jail Bird" | 4 October 2002 | 26 February 2006 | |
| Mr. Plod locks the Toytown rooster in jail for being too noisy. Next morning, the rooster doesn't crow and there's no sunrise. | ||||
| 26 | "A Grey Day in Toytown" | 7 October 2002 | 5 March 2006 | |
| A grey cloud makes all the colour in Toytown disappear. | ||||
| 27 | "Noddy's Car Trouble" | 8 October 2002 | 12 March 2006 | |
| Noddy argues with his car causing it to run away from him. | ||||
| 28 | "Bumpy Dog's Day" | 9 October 2002 | 19 March 2006 | |
| Bumpy Dog is causing trouble all over Toytown. | ||||
| 29 | "The Out-of-Control Tower" | 10 October 2002 | 26 March 2006 | |
| A tower that is supposed to control the weather flies away with Master Tubby Bear and Martha Monkey inside, so Mr. Sparks must find a way to save them. | ||||
| 30 | "Noddy and the Naughty Box" | 11 October 2002 | 2 April 2006 | |
| Noddy must deliver a box that plays jokes on others. | ||||
| 31 | "Skittle in the Middle" | 14 October 2002 | 9 April 2006 | |
| One skittle gets tired of just falling over every day, but he's afraid to tell his family about it. | ||||
| 32 | "Googleberry Moon" | 15 October 2002 | 16 April 2006 | |
| The toys of Toytown go and pick googleberries, but they're stolen by Sly and Gobbo. | ||||
| 33 | "Noddy's Wake Up Call" | 16 October 2002 | 23 April 2006 | |
| Noddy tries to find a way to wake up early after his alarm clock breaks because he has an important job to do in the morning. | ||||
| 34 | "Miss Pink Cat's Country Adventure" | 17 October 2002 | 30 April 2006 | |
| Miss Pink Cat must get milk so she can make ice cream in her parlour, but she doesn't know where milk comes from so Noddy helps her. | ||||
| 35 | "The Big Sneeze" | 18 October 2002 | 7 May 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo put a sneezing spell on Mr. Jumbo by accident, he sneezes so hard that he ends up in the air. | ||||
| 36 | "The Magic Rubber" "The Magic Eraser" | 21 October 2002 | 14 May 2006 | |
| Master Tubby Bear takes a magic eraser that can erase everything after it falls from Big Ears's package. Later, Sly and Gobbo steal the eraser from him and wreck havoc. | ||||
| 37 | "Dinah's Day Out" | 22 October 2002 | 21 May 2006 | |
| Dinah Doll and Tessie Bear go to get more things for Dinah's store, but it triggers panic among others because they can't get anything until Dinah returns. | ||||
| 38 | "Catch a Falling Star" | 23 October 2002 | 28 May 2006 | |
| Noddy, Tessie Bear and Martha Monkey go camping, they save a star that fell from the sky called Twinkly. Sly and Gobbo steal the star and it's a race against time to get it back up into the sky before sunrise. | ||||
| 39 | "Driving Miss Pink Cat" | 24 October 2002 | ||
| After Miss Pink Cat offers him as many ice creams as he can eat, Noddy starts driving her everywhere she wants to go. | ||||
| 40 | "Noddy's Clothes on the Loose" | 25 October 2002 | 11 June 2006 | |
| Gobbo and Sly put a spell on Noddy's clothes, giving them orders, so everyone now thinks that Noddy's a thief. | ||||
| 41 | "Fire Chief Dinah" | 28 October 2002 | 18 June 2006 | |
| Mr. Plod organizes Toytown's fire brigade, making Dinah the chief. | ||||
| 42 | "Goblin Good Deed Day" | 29 October 2002 | 25 June 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo try to do a good deed for Goblin Good Deed Day. | ||||
| 43 | "Noddy, the Best Driver in the World" | 30 October 2002 | 2 July 2006 | |
| Noddy must give Martha Monkey flying lessons if he doesn't drive eight different vehicles before sunset. | ||||
| 44 | "The Great Goblin Giveaway" | 31 October 2002 | ||
| Sly makes presents from his and Gobbo's old junk, labels them to everyone in Toyland and leaves them at the train station for Noddy to pick up. | ||||
| 45 | "Noddy the Rainbow Chaser" | 1 November 2002 | 16 July 2006 | |
| Noddy and Master Tubby Bear take gold from the end of the rainbow, making it disappear. | ||||
| 46 | "Above It All" | 4 November 2002 | 23 July 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo ride a cloud over Toytown and steal ice-cream. | ||||
| 47 | "Noddy and the Magic Sound Cups" "Noddy and the Criss Cross Cups" | 5 November 2002 | 30 July 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo give Noddy magic sound cups so he'll sing like a bird. Bumpy Dog takes them, causing trouble in Toytown. | ||||
| 48 | "Mr. Plod's Little Problem" | 6 November 2002 | 6 August 2006 | |
| Mr. Plod is shrunk to the size of a beetle by accident. | ||||
| 49 | "Noddy and the Towering Flower" | 7 November 2002 | 13 August 2006 | |
| Noddy and Master Tubby Bear want to compete in the flower contest against Tessie Bear and Dinah Doll. They forget to seed their flower, so they take a gigantic one from the town square. | ||||
| 50 | "The Great Goblin Switch" | 8 November 2002 | 20 August 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo change themselves into Noddy and Tessie Bear after seeing how nice others are to them. | ||||
Season 2 (2003, UK; 2006-2007, US)
| No. | Title | Air date (UK) | Air date (US) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | "A Case of the Missing Ball" | 28 July 2003 | ||
| The toys must find Tiny Ball after he disappears into the sky. | ||||
| 52 | "The Great Train Chase" | 29 July 2003 | 5 September 2006 | |
| Master Tubby sneakily drives the Toytown train, but he doesn't know how to stop it causing it to run off the rails. | ||||
| 53 | "A Surprise for Tessie Bear" | 30 July 2003 | 6 September 2006 | |
| A mysterious giant present appears in the square. | ||||
| 54 | "Clockwork Mouse's Wish" | 31 July 2003 | 7 September 2006 | |
| Clockwork Mouse uses Mr. Jumbo's growing formula to enlarge himself. | ||||
| 55 | "Master Tubby's Chocolate Dream" | 1 August 2003 | 8 September 2006 | |
| Master Tubby Bear eats all of the chocolate that Noddy delivered for Chocolate Day and has a bad dream when he falls asleep. | ||||
| 56 | "What Strange Weather" | 4 August 2003 | 11 September 2006 | |
| The wind whisks a barrel of milk and a basket of eggs into the air, causing it to rain milk and eggs. | ||||
| 57 | "Forgive Me Not" | 5 August 2003 | 12 September 2006 | |
| Martha Monkey is angry with Noddy after he forgets to invite her to his party. | ||||
| 58 | "Bicycle Battle" | 6 August 2003 | 13 September 2006 | |
| The toys compete in a bicycle race. Martha Monkey wrecks her bike so has to share one with Noddy, much to his annoyance. | ||||
| 59 | "Lie Down, Mr. Wobblyman" | 7 August 2003 | 14 September 2006 | |
| Tessie Bear and Noddy want to make Mr. Wobblyman lie down. | ||||
| 60 | "Noddy's Car Loses Its Voice" | 8 August 2003 | 15 September 2006 | |
| While driving, Noddy hits a bump in the road causing his car's horn to get lost. | ||||
| 61 | "Noddy Through the Looking Glass" | 11 August 2003 | 18 September 2006 | |
| Noddy is transported to a parallel universe by Big Ears' magic mirror. | ||||
| 62 | "Mr. Plod in Jail" | 12 August 2003 | 19 September 2006 | |
| Mr. Plod accidentally locks himself in jail. | ||||
| 63 | "Goblins Above" | 13 August 2003 | 20 September 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo steal Noddy's plane. | ||||
| 64 | "Noddy and the Big Chicken Roundup" | 14 August 2003 | 21 September 2006 | |
| Chickens follow Noddy into town when a bag of chicken feed in the back of his car is ripped open and leaves a trail. | ||||
| 65 | "Master Tubby Goblin" | 15 August 2003 | 22 September 2006 | |
| Gobbo and Sly teach Master Tubby Bear how to be a goblin. | ||||
| 66 | "Just Be Yourself Noddy" | 18 August 2003 | 25 September 2006 | |
| Noddy pretends to be Mr. Wobblyman and Mr. Jumbo to impress Tessie Bear. | ||||
| 67 | "The Goblins and the Invisible Paint" | 19 August 2003 | 26 September 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo give Mr. Sparks a charm that will make more money for him, and if it works, they'll get half of that money. Then they use invisible paint to make Noddy wreck his car to ensure he earns some. | ||||
| 68 | "Don't Be Late, Noddy" | 20 August 2003 | 27 September 2006 | |
| Noddy drives through Toyland to reach the train station and pick up Mrs. Skittle, but a fallen tree blocking the road and an accident in the lake almost makes him late. | ||||
| 69 | "Noddy and the Broken Plates" "Noddy and the Broken Dishes" | 21 August 2003 | 28 September 2006 | |
| Sly and Gobbo trick Noddy with a bunch of broken plates. | ||||
| 70 | "Noddy the Artist" | 22 August 2003 | 29 September 2006 | |
| Noddy tries to be a painter. | ||||
| 71 | "Noddy's Special Treat" | 25 August 2003 | 2 October 2006 | |
| Martha Monkey and Mr. Jumbo want Noddy to take them on a trip. | ||||
| 72 | "Noddy Builds a Rocketship" | 26 August 2003 | 3 October 2006 | |
| Noddy and Master Tubby Bear are building a rocketship. | ||||
| 73 | "Mr. Plod, the Best Policeman" | 27 August 2003 | 4 October 2006 | |
| Noddy hides his car and tells Mr. Plod that it was stolen, so Mr. Plod will solve a big case and that he ends up in the newspaper. | ||||
| 74 | "No Nap for Noddy" | 28 August 2003 | 5 October 2006 | |
| Noddy stays up during the night after seeing Mr. Sparks up late but becomes really tired during the day which causes problems when delivering packages. | ||||
| 75 | "Big Ears for a Day" | 29 August 2003 | ||
| Noddy and Big-Ears switch jobs for one day. | ||||
Specials (2004-2006)
| No. | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | "Noddy Saves Christmas" | 13 July 2004 |
| 102 | "Noddy and the Island Adventure" | 24 October 2005 |
| 103 | "Noddy and the Magical Moondust" | 7 April 2006 |
References
- ^ "Make Way For Noddy". Channel 5. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ https://kidscreen.com/2000/10/01/30146-20001001/
- ^ https://kidscreen.com/2001/01/01/30543-20010101/
- ^ https://kidscreen.com/2002/09/01/falltvuk-20020901/
- ^ https://kidscreen.com/2004/10/01/quick-20041001/
- ^ Animation outsourced to Wang Film Productions
External links
- Make Way for Noddy at IMDb
- Milkshake! - Noddy at channel5.com