Make Way for Noddy is an animated series for children, produced by Chorion of the United Kingdom in conjunction with SD Entertainment in the United States. Based on Enid Blyton's Noddy character, it originally aired in 12-minute segments as part of the Milkshake programme on Britain's Five, starting on 2 September, 2002. On 5 January, 2004, an Americanized version of the series, with "Noddy and The New Taxi" as its first episode, was launched in the United States on PBS in a half-hour version. This version, although it retained the name "Make Way for Noddy", was a longer format; it combined two of the 12-minute segments with new material. Along with the story episodes featuring Noddy and his friends, the PBS format included two interstitials, a music video and footage from a British live-action host named Naomi Wilkinson from Milkshake!. The Say it With Noddy interstitials featured Noddy learning various foreign-language words from a robot named Whizz. Although most of the Noddy characters had been redubbed to remove their British accents, Naomi spoke with a strong British accent and used British English words and phrases in conversation. The theme tune of the show was released as a single in the UK in December 2003, reaching number 29 in the chart. [edit] Characters - Noddy (voiced by David Kaye) is the title character, a wooden boy who lives in Toyland. He wears a red long-sleeved polo shirt, a tan belt, light blue denim shorts, a red and yellow spotted neckerchief, red shoes with black laces and a long blue hat with a bell on the top. Although he is characterized as a child, with a child's imagination and fears, in Toyland he also serves as the town taxi-driver. He often finds himself in difficult situations due to his childlike impulsiveness and energy, but his Toy Town friends always help him set things right.
- Big-Ears is a wise old white-bearded gnome who wears a blue coat, green striped pants, a yellow and red plaid neckerchief, gnome shoes, and a long red hat and lives in a toadstool house in the forest called Toadstool Woods. He is a father-figure to Noddy and the other toys, often helping them out of trouble with his years of wisdom and good advice. His catchphrase to Noddy is "You funny little Noddy".
- Tessie Bear is Noddy's best friend, always ready to help everyone she sees. She wears a pink and white skirt and a pink bonnet with blue flowers on it. She lives in a pink house in Toy Town with Bumpy Dog, her faithful and rambunctious pet.
- Bumpy Dog is Tessie Bear's dog, whose bumping and jumping cause trouble for all the toys. Even though some of the toys complain about his leaping, in several stories Bumpy's energy has saved the day.
- Sly and Gobbo are the main "villains" of Toyland, always hatching another evil plot to take away ice cream, coins, coins, coins, or Noddy's car, serving as the main antagonist of Toyland. They live in a hollow tree in the Dark Woods, when their schemes haven't landed them in Mr. Plod's jail. They always apologize for their mischief in the end, and seem truly sorry...until the next time.
- Mr. Plod is Toy Town's sole police officer. Armed with his trusty whistle and his all-purpose problem-solving phrase--"HALT! In the name of Plod!"--he brings law and order to Toyland, keeps Sly and Gobbo out of the way, and makes the streets safe for all the toys. Although Mr. Plod's no-nonsense ways keep Toyland safe, they sometimes make him seem cold or unfeeling, but the Toyland toys always bring out his compassionate side in the end.
- Mr. Sparks is Toy Town's mechanic, fix-it man, and jack-of-all-trades. Faced with a clock without a spring, a rocket without an engine, or a problem without a solution, he brings out his tools and his famous catch phrase: "A challenge?...I like it!". He speaks with a Scottish accent, and is always shown as an ingenious and helpful friend.
- Miss Harriet the Pink Cat (aka Miss Pink Cat) owns Toy Town's ice cream shop. She is portrayed as very fussy and neat, with a French accent and no patience for foolishness, even her own.
- Dinah Doll is a toy plastic doll, the Toy Town shopkeeper. Her stall, though small, contains everything a Toyland resident could ever possibly want. From toy trains and kite strings to googleberry muffins, she greets every request with her favorite promise: "I have that , now I just have to find it!" She's portrayed as a down-to-earth "older sister" figure, kindly guiding the more impulsive toys into doing the right thing.
- Master Tubby Bear, a stuffed teddy bear, is one of the more mischievous residents of Toyland. He wears a tie, a colorful cap, and blue jeans. He's impatient, greedy and thoughtless, until one of the older, wiser Toy Town toys shows him the error of his ways. He's good friends with Martha Monkey.
- Martha Monkey is a monkey doll whose personality makes her a bit of an outcast in Toyland. She seems to want to be everyone's friend, but her boisterous behavior and prankster ways often get in the way. Like Master Tubby Bear, her best friend, she'll quickly see the light when her bad behavior is corrected by a caring friend.
- Mr. Jumbo is a friendly stuffed elephant. He uses his size to help smaller toys, like his best friend Clockwork Mouse.
- Clockwork Mouse was a wind-up toy mouse, Mr Jumbo's best friend.
- Mr. Wobblyman wobbles and tips wherever he goes--he has a ball where his legs should be! He's very self-conscious about his clumsiness, especially when his wobbling attracts teasing.
- The Skittles are a family of bowling-pin-like toys who love nothing more than to be knocked over--whether by each other, a Bouncing Ball, or Bumpy Dog. Ma Skittle can often be seen in Toy Town, trying to keep all the little Skittles in sight.
- Harvey and Cecilia are two beetles who are often overlooked because of their small size and can normally be seen trying to cross the road. They can talk on most episodes, but not on other ones. They belong to less-nosser beetles.
- Tiny Ball is one of a large family of Bouncing Balls whose energetic bounces really make a big impression whenever they come to Toy Town. Tiny, though the smallest of all the Ball family, is also known to all the toys as the best bouncer in Toyland.
- Noddy's car is the Toy Town taxi. It listens to Noddy, and answers with a "parp! parp!" Though Car, as Noddy calls him, generally needs a driver, at times he can move on his own, especially when Noddy needs help.
[edit] Television Airing [edit] Episodes - Noddy and the New Taxi
- Noddy Builds a Rocket Ship
- Catch a Falling Star
- Hold On to Your Hat, Noddy!
- Master Tubby's Opposite Day
- The Goblin's Stopwatch
- The Magic Powder
- A Bike for Big Ears
- The Out-of-Control Tower
- Clockwork Mouse's Wish
- Too Many Noddies
- The Towering Flower
- Noddy's Perfect Gift
- Noddy & The Magic Bagpipes
- Noddy's Island Adventure
- Dinah's Day Out
- No Nap for Noddy
- Noddy and the Treasure Map
- Shelf Help
- The Big Fib
[edit] Funding [edit] See also [edit] External links |
