Boohbah
Boohbah | |
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Nick Jr. UK | |
Release | 14 April 2003 6 January 2006 | –
Related | |
Boohbah is a British preschool television series created by
The series, with 104 episodes, was designed for preschoolers aged three to six (a slightly older age group than Wood's previous show, Teletubbies).[5]
According to Anne Wood, the show's visuals were inspired by scientific photographs of microscopic life and cell structures.[6] The main characters, the Boohbahs, are "atoms of energy"[3] who sleep in charging pods. Every episode follows the Boohbahs performing a dance routine where the audience is encouraged to participate. The creators at Ragdoll Productions designed the show as an interactive "televisual game" with an emphasis on spatial awareness, motor skill development and puzzle solving.
Characters
Episodes of Boohbah are divided into two main segments: one featuring the Boohbahs and another featuring the Storypeople.
Boohbahs
The series focuses on the Boohbahs, five colourful creatures who are described as "magical atoms" of energy.[7] They are played by actors in full-body costumes. Their fur sparkles and shimmers with tiny lights, and they have big eyes and rows of lights for eyebrows. Each Boohbah is a different colour:
- Humbah, played by Emma Insley, is a yellow Boohbah.
- Zumbah, played by Alex Poulter, is a purple Boohbah.
- Zing Zing Zingbah, played by Cal Jaggers, is an orange Boohbah.
- Jumbah, played by Phil Hayes, is a blue Boohbah.
- Jingbah, played by Laura Pero, is a pink Boohbah.
Storypeople
The Storypeople are silent human characters whose actions are controlled by off-screen children using the magic word "Boohbah".
- Grandmamma (Linda Kerr-Scott) – An elderly yet spry Caucasian woman. She has white banana hair and wears a dark pink housedress, pastel blue sweater, white socks, and red trainers.
- Grandpappa (braces, and white trainers.
- Mrs. Lady (Harvey Virdi) – An Indian woman. She has dark hair and wears a loose light blue blouse, loose bright pink trousers, and pink trainers.
- Mr. Man (Mark Ramsey) – A Black man. He wears a short-sleeved bright pink shirt, white trousers, and black trainers.
- Brother (Manuel Bravo) and Sister (Vee Vimolmal) – Always paired, they both appear to be in their late teens. Brother is a Spanish boy with short black hair; he wears a bright blue T-shirt, bright red knee-length shorts, and white trainers with pink laces. Sister is a Thai girl with hip-length black hair in a long ponytail; she wears a bright red T-shirt, bright blue capri pants, and white trainers with pink laces.
- Auntie (Sachi Kimura) – A Japanese woman. She has short black hair and wears a long-sleeved lavender blouse, black trousers, purple tights, and black shoes.
- Little Dog Fido (Dash) – A Jack Russell Terrier. He wears a red collar. He is the only character in Storyworld who is not wholly controlled by the magic word "Boohbah".[8]
Development and broadcast
Production of Boohbah began shortly after Ragdoll released a direct-to-video Teletubbies release titled Teletubbies Go! in 2001, which featured segments of the characters exercising. The high sales of the release led to Ragdoll's fear of obesity in children and what led the company to develop an exercise-based programme.[1]
In November 2002, ITV's pre-school strand
The series premiered as planned on ITV on 14 April 2003 and later debuted on GMTV's weekend pre-school slot at the same time.[2] Ragdoll held worldwide distribution rights to the series.
In June 2003, Ragdoll announced their plans to launch Boohbah in the United States. They confirmed that
In March 2004, Ragdoll announced that the second series would premiere in the UK on CITV on the 16th.
In March 2005,
In the United States, the series was aired on
Episodes
Two series, each containing 52 episodes, were produced for a total of 104 episodes. Many episodes were written by Robin Stevens, who played Grandpappa on the show.
Season 1
No. | Title | Written by | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Skipping Rope" | Alan Dapré | |
Come and bounce with the Boohbahs and do some funny folding. In Storyworld, Sister is skipping with a swirly skipping rope and soon everyone wants a turn. But can they all join in without getting in a twist? Countries: UK & Namibia | |||
2 | "Pearly Shells" | Alan Dapré | |
Tone up with some Boohbah twists, and have fun hiding in a line. In Storyworld, Brother and Sister find some shells on the seashore. Can they spot the special shells and winkle out what’s inside? Countries: Jamaica & Australia | |||
3 | "Rope and Rock" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
Swing your arms and shape up with the Boohbahs and do the Push and Pull dance. In Storyworld, Grandmamma and Grandpappa discover a rope. Can they find out what is on the other end if they pull together? Countries: China & Russia | |||
4 | "Musical Pipe" | Robin Stevens | |
Keep fit with some quick Boohbah action, and join in with their whirly weaving. In Storyworld, Mrs Lady finds a musical pipe. The Storypeople take note and dance to her twirly tune. Countries: South Africa & France | |||
5 | "Windows" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
6 | "Armchair" "Comfy Armchair" (U.S. title) | Robin Stevens | |
7 | "Record Player" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
8 | "Squeaky Socks" | Alan Dapré | |
9 | "A Pile of Balls" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
10 | "Painting the Fence" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
11 | "Big Bass Drum" | Alan Dapré | |
12 | "Hammock" | Alan Dapré | |
13 | "Squeaky Seesaw" | Alan Dapré | |
14 | "Jack-In-A-Box" | Alan Dapré | |
15 | "Bubbles" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
16 | "Settee and Cushions" "Couch and Cushions" (U.S. title) | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
17 | "Big Comb" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
18 | "The Big Ball" | Robin Stevens | |
19 | "Yellow Woolly Jumper" "Yellow Woolly Sweater" (U.S. title) | Alan Dapré | |
20 | "Musical Instruments" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
21 | "The Bed" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
22 | "The High Wall" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
23 | "Cakes and String" | Robin Stevens | |
24 | "The Door" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
25 | "Building Blocks" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
26 | "Hot Dog" | Alan Dapré | |
27 | "Treasure Chest" | Robin Stevens | |
28 | "Flippers" | Alan Dapré | |
29 | "Two Hats" | Alan Dapré | |
30 | "Bells" | Alan Dapré | |
31 | "Shed" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
32 | "Shining Armour" | Robin Stevens | |
33 | "Flowers & Vase" | Alan Dapré | |
34 | "A Big Bag" | Alan Dapré | |
35 | "Piggy Bank" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
36 | "Drink of Milk" | Alan Dapré | |
37 | "Leaky Hose" | Robin Stevens | |
38 | "Parping Horn" | TBA | |
39 | "Musical Cushions" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
40 | "Following the Signs" | Alan Dapré | |
41 | "Puddle" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
42 | "Skittles" "Bowling Pins" (U.S. title) | Alan Dapré | |
43 | "Pencil Sharpener" | Alan Dapré | |
44 | "Cracker" | Alan Dapré | |
45 | "Island" | Robin Stevens | |
46 | "Collecting Mail" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
47 | "Tunnel" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan | |
48 | "Necklace" | Alan Dapré | |
49 | "Heavy Suitcase" | Robin Stevens | |
50 | "Television" | Robin Stevens | |
51 | "Long Drink" | Robin Stevens | |
52 | "Fairground Thing" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
Season 2
No. | Title | Written by |
---|---|---|
53 | "Big Switch" | Robin Stevens |
54 | "Bouncers" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
55 | "Beards" | Alan Dapré |
56 | "Paper Plane" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
57 | "Droopy Flowers" | Robin Stevens |
58 | "Fido's Flag" | Robin Stevens |
59 | "Sailing Boat" | Alan Dapré |
60 | "Gigantic Carrot" | Robin Stevens and Alan Dapré |
61 | "Stream" | Alan Dapré |
62 | "Feathers" | Robin Stevens |
63 | "Bat & Ball" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
64 | "Chair in the Air" | Robin Stevens |
65 | "Falling Oranges" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
66 | "Comfy Slippers" | Alan Dapré |
67 | "Ice Cream Cone" | Alan Dapré |
68 | "Banana Split" | Alan Dapré |
69 | "Pulling the Rope" | Alan Dapré |
70 | "Springy Sofa" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
71 | "Club & Ball" | Robin Stevens |
72 | "Hole in the Fence" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
73 | "Crossroads" | Robin Stevens |
74 | "Fido's Bone" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
75 | "Coloured Bricks" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
76 | "Glowing Lanterns" | Robin Stevens |
77 | "Little White Cloud" | Alan Dapré |
78 | "Stack of Cushions" | Robin Stevens |
79 | "Jigsaw" | Alan Dapré |
80 | "Stick" | Alan Dapré |
81 | "Flag" | Robin Stevens |
82 | "Four Jumpers" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
83 | "Snowshaker" | Robin Stevens |
84 | "Squirty Flower" | Robin Stevens |
85 | "Fido's Picture" | Alan Dapré |
86 | "Unwinding Carpet" | Alan Dapré |
87 | "Bouncy Castle" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
88 | "Wardrobe" | Alan Dapré |
89 | "Over the Net" | Alan Dapré |
90 | "Snowballs" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
91 | "Space Rocket" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
92 | "Sticky Wrapper" | TBA |
93 | "Jumping on the Balls" | TBA |
94 | "Sledge" | TBA |
95 | "Camera" | TBA |
96 | "Tightrope" | TBA |
97 | "Ball & Hoop" | TBA |
98 | "Little Rocky Boat" | TBA |
99 | "Flying Fish" | TBA |
100 | "Bucket & Spade" | TBA |
101 | "Umbrella" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
102 | "Snowman" | Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan |
103 | "Grass Skirt" | TBA |
104 | "Book" | Robin Stevens |
Reception
References
- ^ Kidscreen.
- ^ a b "ITV lines up atoms for preschool push". C21Media. 10 April 2003.
- ^ NickJr.co.uk. 4 March 2006. Archived from the originalon 4 March 2006.
- ^ a b c "Boohbah to start kids' days on Nick Jr" (Press release). Ragdoll Productions. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008.
- ^ "Television: Tubby, And Bouncy Too". Time. 19 January 2004.
- ^ a b "The telly's new tubbies: Boohbahs". Los Angeles Times. 23 January 2004.
- NickJr.co.uk. 22 February 2006. Archived from the originalon 22 February 2006.
- ^ NickJr.co.uk. 22 February 2006. Archived from the originalon 22 February 2006.
- ^ "Five-year deal for Ragdoll's new preschooler series". C21Media.
- ^ a b "KEY PARTNERS REUNITE TO INTRODUCE BOOHBAH TO NORTH AMERICA". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "BOOHBAH SPINNING AROUND THE WORLD TWO NEW SIGNINGS FOR RAGDOLL'S LATEST CREATION". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "BOOHBAH TO SPIN AROUND THE WORLD WITH HASBRO". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "BOOHBAH BOUNCES BACK WITH A BRAND NEW SECOND SERIES ON CiTV!". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "HAVE A BUMPER BOOHBAH EASTER WEEKEND!". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "BOOHBAH HEADS FOR CANADA". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "BOOHBAH BOUNCES ONTO NICKELODEON". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "BOOHBAH BOUNCES INTO CHINA!". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ "BOOHBAH will launch across 2 time zones on Monday, 11 July 2005". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
- ^ a b "Boohbah". EW.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ Ali, Lorraine (25 January 2004). "Entertainment Shorts: Television". Newsweek.
- ^ "Boohbah - TV Review". Common Sense Media. 7 January 2011.
- ^ Dominus, Susan (4 January 2004). "She Speaks 3-Year-Old". The New York Times Magazine.
- ^ Boohbah: Season 1, retrieved 18 June 2021
- ^ Stevens, Dana (30 January 2004), "Creature Feature – Is Boohbah the new Teletubbies?", Slate, retrieved 4 July 2021
- ^ Roberts, Will (27 October 2016). "5 Most Horrifying TV Shows That Aren't Supposed to Be Scary". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
External links
- Boohbah at IMDb
- Boohbah at NickJr.co.uk (archive)